


Partners in Crime

by LadyFogg



Series: Ryan & Fox Series [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Bisexuality, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Language, NSFW, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Smut and Fluff, Violence, bisexual reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-03-18 18:58:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 64,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3580353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFogg/pseuds/LadyFogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Slip of the Hand. It's five years after you and Ryan left Los Santos and you're enjoying your life together. But when you receive a troubling call from Lindsay, you're dragged back into the violent and cruel life you thought you left behind, and things that should have stayed buried in your past come back to haunt you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of your heels on the linoleum floor echoes loudly through the hallway.

You wear a pencil skirt and matching blazer, a shiny attache case in your hand. Two guards lead you to a specific interrogation room, before coming to a halt.

“Is this the one?” you ask.

They nod and one unlocks the door. “I will accompany you inside to see the prisoner,” he says. “My colleague will remain outside the door. You’ll need to leave your case with him. Nothing goes in or comes out.”

“Are you really that scared of him?” you ask with a smirk.

“There’s nothing amusing about him, ma’am,” the guard says, his face remaining serious. “He’s a dangerous man.” He watches carefully as you hand your attache to the other guard.

“I’ve already been through security,” you say. “They wouldn’t have allowed me to bring my case if it was a security risk.”

“Just a precaution, ma’am,” he says. He unlocks the door to the interrogation room and you follow him inside.

It’s so stereotypical you want to laugh. The walls are completely blank and there are no windows. The only light is the florescent one on the ceiling. The metal table is bolted to the floor and the prisoner is strapped to the chair he sits in, forcing him to remain sitting. There’s a black bag over his head and you suck your teeth in annoyance.

“Is that necessary?” you ask, crossing your arms.

“Protocol,” the guard says. “We couldn’t let him see where we were bringing him.”

He makes sure the door is completely shut before walking over to the prisoner and yanking the bag off.

Ryan blinks at the sudden brightness. “I was napping,” he scowls at the guard.

“Shut up!” the guard snaps. “Your lawyer is here.”

Ryan’s eyes slide over to meet yours and he smirks. “Is she?” he asks. He leans forward on the table, his chains rattling loudly as they move with him. “And a mighty foxy looking lawyer, if I may say so.”

“Watch how you speak to the lady!” the guard orders before punching him.

Ryan looks vaguely annoyed and works his jaw. “Ouch.”

“Do not strike him again,” you order, marching fully into the room. “He is my client and I will not see him mistreated. Mr. Haywood, are you injured?”

“Well my jaw makes a popping noise now, but I’ve been worse,” he mutters, glaring at the guard.

“They say you were arrested after robbing twenty banks within two days,” you say. “Has your time in this place taught you anything?”

Ryan smirks again. “That I’m losing my touch,” he says.

“I’m sure your touch is just fine,” you respond, returning his smirk.

“You would know,” he says, raising his eyebrow.

“I told you to watch how you speak to her!” the guard yells. He raises his fist again.

“Do not strike him,” you order sharply, making the man freeze. “Do it and I will go straight to your superiors and you can kiss this job goodbye.” The guard’s eyes slide to yours briefly before he lowers his fist. “Good man. Answer the question, Mr. Haywood.”

“Yes, I’ve learned a great deal,” Ryan says, sounding bored. He leans back in his chair and lifts his hands to show his shackles. “Now, can you kindly get me out of here, Mrs. Haywood?”

The guard looks at you with confusion, but you cover his mouth and nose with your hand as you wrap your other arm around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Ryan watches as you struggle to hold the guard until he runs out of oxygen and passes out. Once he goes limp, you carefully lay him onto the ground.

“Husband,” you grin at Ryan.

Ryan grins back. “Wife.”

You dig through the guard’s pockets for his keys before unchaining Ryan from the chair. The second he’s free he wraps his arms around you and pulls you into a hungry kiss. Months of not seeing him have built up a ton of sexual frustration and you return the kiss just as hungrily.

“God I missed you,” Ryan pants as he pulls away.

“Damn right you have,” you say breathlessly. “And once we’re safely out of here, you’re going to do everything to me.”

“You know I will,” Ryan grins. “I assume you have a plan?”

“Always,” you say, checking your watch. “Just give it a few more seconds.”

Sure enough, seconds later there’s a small popping sound outside the door, follow by a loud thud.

“What was that?” Ryan asks.

“That would be the trap I set for the guard outside,” you say. “Anyone who opens my attache gets a nice little dose of sleepytime drugs. He must have gone through my shit. Rude.”

“Then let’s get going,” Ryan says, bending down to examine the guard. “You think his uniform will fit me?”

“We really don’t have a choice,” you say, watching the time carefully. “Anyone could come around and see the guard passed out in the hall.”

“Nah, we’re good,” Ryan says, beginning to strip the guard of his clothes. “We’re so far underground this place isn’t even on the round rotation. Really stupid if you ask me.”

“Well that’s what you get when they put you in a prison in East Bumfuck Nowhere with a small population,” you say, watching your husband. “Did you get what you needed?”

“Oh yeah,” Ryan says, standing up straight so he can remove his jumpsuit. “The warden was taking the money that was supposed to go to the prison and keeping it for himself. He's the new governor's brother so that's a big oops. Pretty standard. Should be able to get a few million in blackmail money.”

“Perfect,” you say. “We’ll sell the information to the highest bidder and then we’re ghosts.” You watch your husband strip and let out a low whistle. “Mmmm, you’ve been exercising more.”

“There’s nothing else to do,” Ryan says with a grin, modeling his muscular physique for you. “They cut my hair though when I got here. Bastards.”

You shrug. “Eh, the ponytail was getting way too long,” you say. “I like you with shaggy hair and the beard.”

“You like me anyway,” Ryan points out, pulling on the guard’s uniform. It’s a little tight, but it’ll have to do.

“Fair point,” you tell him.

“So, what are you wearing under that skirt?” Ryan asks.

You make your way to the door. “You’ll just have to wait until we’re on the plane to find out,” you tell him. Carefully you poke your head into the hall, and when you see no one is around, you grab the knocked out guard by his hefty shoulders and drag him into the room. If you had tried this five years ago, you would have hurt yourself, but your strength is much better now than it was back then. The training Ryan insisted you have certainly pays for itself.

By the time the guard is shoved in a corner, Ryan is done dressing in the uniform and pulling on the guard’s hat. He takes the keys from the desk where you dropped them and a pistol from the man's holster. You retrieve your case. “And, we’re good.”

Your husband grins and you both stroll out.

Minutes later you’re speeding down the highway, Ryan in the passenger’s seat. He lowers the window, throws the guard cap onto the dashboard and leans back with a sigh. “Mmm, fresh air,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “So what have you been working on, beautiful wife of mine?”

“Sold the location of a diamond smuggler’s hideout to the CIA,” you say proudly.

“Awesome.”

“Finished the extension on the house. That in-house theatre you wanted is done.”

“Fantastic.”

“Missed you like crazy; thought about you constantly.”

Ryan smiles and reaches over to trail his fingers down your cheek. “Same.”

You lean into his touch and smile back. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You pull the stolen car up to the small airport where your private plane is waiting.

“Mr. & Mrs. Haywood,” the pilot greets you as you and Ryan walk up to him. He motions to the steps that lead into the plane and you and Ryan climb in. You toss your attache into one of the overhead compartments before you drop heavily into your seat. You’re exhausted and just want to shut your eyes and sleep. The ride home is going to be a long one, and now that Ryan is back at your side you’ll actually be able to get some rest.

Ryan closes the compartment for you before taking the seat across from you. He admires you with a large smile. “It’s good to see your face again.”

You chuckle. “When did we get so nauseatingly lovey-dovey?” you ask.

“When we started spending time apart for jobs and realized that we hate it,” Ryan says grinning. You both fasten your seatbelts and prepare to take off.

“Were they cruel?” you ask softly. “If they were, I’ll make sure they pay.”

Ryan waves a hand dismissively. “Nah, it was better than most of the prisons I’ve been in. That guard couldn’t even throw a proper punch.”

You can tell by now when he’s lying, and fortunately this isn’t the case. “Good,” you say. “How’s your jaw?”

“Works perfectly,” Ryan says with a grin. “I’d be more than happy to show you once we’re cruising.”

You laugh. “Let’s not do the whole ‘months apart’ thing again for awhile, okay?”

“Deal.”

Once the plane takes off and is at the proper altitude, the pilot turns off the seatbelt sign. You remove your seatbelt and kick out of your heels. The carpeting feels wonderful on your sore feet.

Ryan also takes off his seatbelt and stands, extending his hand. You take it without question and let him pull you out of your seat. You follow him to the rear of the plane and he opens the door there. You’re greeted by the sight of the bed Ryan insisted was necessary. He closes the door before you grab him by the tie and tug him forward.

Lips meet urgently and you reach down to tug his shirt out of his pants. Ryan moves to unbutton the guard’s uniform and together you help rid him of his clothing.

“I like this look on you,” Ryan comments as he steps back to admire your matching skirt and blazer. “It’s so business-like, and yet…” He bunches your skirt up with one hand while the other slides under the fabric. A large grin spreads across his face as his hand connects with your bare backside. “Just as I suspected.”

“Isn’t it tradition?” you ask smirking, taking your time as you unbutton your blazer.

Ryan removes his hand from under your skirt and makes his way to the bed. “That it is, beautiful,” he says. He crawls onto the bed and lounges on his side to watch you undress. You take the time to admire his now naked form. “So after we ravage each other, I say we eat and then pass out.”

You laugh and let your blazer slide down your arms and onto the floor. “That’s what we’re doing for the next few days, isn’t it?” you ask teasingly, moving to unbutton your cream-colored blouse. “Eating, sleeping, fucking…”

Ryan’s eyes grow hooded as more and more of your skin becomes uncovered. The white lacy bra you’re wearing is brand new, and he notices. “Right now I’m just interested in that last one,” he says in a low voice. You reach behind you and undo the clasp of the bra, letting that slide off as well. Ryan sits up on the bed and moves towards the edge. “Come here.”

You obey instantly and when you’re standing in front of him, he reaches out and slowly unzips your skirt. He sucks in a breath as the material falls away and you’re standing naked in front of him. With a growl he pulls you onto the bed and rolls you onto your back as you giggle. His mouth practically attacks yours in a bruising kiss and you match his intensity perfectly, swallowing his moan greedily.

Ryan pulls back to sit on his heels and look down at you. His chest is already moving rapidly as he softly pants. He reaches out to run his hand along your neck and collarbone, tracing every line and curve as he does. “I never get tired of seeing you like this,” he says in a low voice. His other hand reaches out to stroke your cheek. You turn and catch his thumb between your lips, gently scraping the tip with your teeth before lightly sucking on the digit. His pupils dilate instantly. His drags his thumb over your bottom lip before his hand joins the other one and trails down your body.

He briefly cups your breasts, giving them a light squeeze before continuing down.

When he reaches your thighs, he grips them tightly and puts your legs around his waist. He takes his cock in his hand and strokes himself as he looks down on you. "This is way better than my imagination."

You smirk, squeezing your legs around him to pull him closer. "Imagine me a lot?"

"Every fucking night," Ryan says. "Solitary was a lonely place."

Your smile fades and you sit up to pull him into a kiss. You hate hearing that he was lonely and missing you. It hurts that you couldn't be there with him. Ryan moans and responds briefly before gently pushing you back down.

When he pushes into you, it's like you're home again. His hands fall on either side of you and he gasps. "Oh God..." his eyes meet yours. "This is where I belong."

You moan and rest your hands above your head. "Yes it is. Just us."

Ryan slowly presses his hips against yours. "Just us." He continues to move in small thrusts, his eyes falling closed as he loses himself in the feeling of your walls clenching around him. You watch his face intently, loving the way his eyebrows draw together in concentration and how he bites his bottom lip.

He drops to his elbow and you rest your hand on his jaw, bringing him towards you to kiss him. Tongues glide against each other's and your arms move to wrap around him.

He starts to pick up the pace, deepening his thrusts each time he surges back in.

He's grunting now and you're moaning, moving rhythmically with each other. His touch always sets your body on fire and he fills you so perfectly, you can't remember how you managed before him.

Release comes swiftly for both of you. Months apart culminate in a short, but intense orgasm that immediately turns you into a mass of sated limbs. Ryan moves next to you, pulling you against his warm, inviting body.

You wrap yourself around him, burying your nose in his neck. He drags the blanket up to cover both of you. "Can't wait to sleep in our bed," Ryan says. "See you wrapped in those silk sheets, with our ocean view behind you..."

You smile, nuzzling closer. "It is our own little slice of paradise."

"You're my paradise," Ryan's voice is thick and you know he's ready to fall asleep.

You smile. "Cheesy bastard."

Ryan chuckles. "But I'm your cheesy bastard."

"That you are."


	2. Chapter 2

When your feet finally touch ground, you’re even more exhausted than you were before. A long plane ride, followed by an hour long boat ride, would wipe anyone out. It also doesn’t help that your husband made it a point not let you get much sleep on the plane. Ryan slings his arm around your shoulders as you walk down the dock towards home. Several servants come to greet you, taking your luggage and offering you refreshments. They are pleased to see Ryan, though it’s clear they were not expecting to.

They also bring you the latest updates on the expansions your home is going through, and you sign off on several more of them. “Mr. Haywood and I would like dinner on the table in an hour,” you tell the servants as the cook hands you your favorite smoothie. “Until then, we are not to be disturbed.”

“Anything special you would like for your welcome home dinner, Mr. Haywood?” the cook asks.

“Enchiladas,” Ryan says instantly. “And surprise us for dessert.”

The cook nods and hurries off to make the preparations.

Another servant asks if you would like the masseuse brought in for the afternoon, but you decline. Unfortunately, it’s a few minutes until you and Ryan are finally alone again.

“Isn’t it nice to have people catering to our every need?” your husband asks you when you’ve finally gotten away from everyone.

You agree as you take a long sip of your smoothie. The fresh fruit tastes wonderful and instantly gives you a boost of energy. “What do you want to do until dinner?” you ask.

“Soak in our whirlpool tub and maybe grope my wife a little,” Ryan says bluntly, making you laugh. You hand him your smoothie, which he happily takes.

“I think I can manage that,” you tell him.

Your bedroom is exactly how you left it. You throw open the curtains and the room is immediately bathed in bright light. You open one of the large windows and a breeze carries in the smell of the ocean. It instantly makes you relax. Ryan’s already made his way into the master bathroom, so you follow him.  You start the taps to the whirlpool tub, while Ryan finishes your smoothie. Once he’s done, he strips and examines his reflection in the mirror.

His beard is scraggly and he gets to work shaving. You wander around, gathering up dirty clothes and shoving them into the laundry basket. The tub is almost full by the time he’s done and he begins to mess with his hair. “They cut it uneven,” he mutters in annoyance. It’s true. One side is starting to grow longer than the other.  

You get the hint and make him sit as you trim his hair yourself. Neither one of you says much, but there really isn’t much to say. You spoke at length on the plane ride, and right now you’re more than comfortable just enjoying each other’s presence. By the time you’re done, the large tub is finally full.

Shaking the loose hair from his head, Ryan slips into the bath and immediately relaxes as the jets get to work on his sore muscles. He closes his eyes and lets his head rest back. You follow him into the tub after cleaning up the mess left from his haircut.

“I think I’m done with the prison infiltrations,” Ryan comments after you’ve been soaking for a few minutes. He scoops water into his hands so he can wet his freshly cut hair.

“Yeah?” you ask, smiling at him. You’re happy to hear the news. You were going to suggest you move on from those types of jobs. You watch the water droplets travel down his face and chest.

“It takes me away from you for too long, and it’s not really fun anymore,” Ryan admits. You move through the water and sit next to him. His arm immediately rests on the edge of the tub, behind your shoulders.

“So what do you propose we do next?” you ask.

He looks thoughtful for a moment, before he drags you onto his lap. You straddle him, pressing your body flush against his. “We have been working nonstop since our honeymoon,” your husband points out, his hands gliding down your wet back and slipping under the water. “What if we take a small break? Maybe plan some jobs we can do together, afterwards.”

“I’m game for whatever you are,” you tell him.

“Perfect,” he says with a grin. “Some rest and relaxation with my favorite lady. I like it. Do you want to travel or stay here?”

“We travel all the time,” you say, running your hand down his, now smooth, cheek. “Let’s stay and enjoy this colossal house we’re building for just the two of us.”

Ryan laughs. “Well, eventually it won’t be for just the two of us,” he points out.

You grin. “True,” you say. “But we both agreed that it will just be the two of us until we’re ready to give up our illegal activities. And I’m not really ready to do that just yet.”

“Me neither,” Ryan agrees, leaning in to kiss you. “Also, I like having uninterrupted access to your naked bits whenever I want.”

You squeal as he pinches your bottom. “Same,” you agree, grinding down against him.

Ryan chuckles and you both fall silent as you kiss leisurely. You’re not in any rush to take things further however. You’re still so satisfied from the plane ride that you’re happy to just kiss him and be close to him. Ryan seems to feel the same way because he doesn’t make any attempt to take things further. When you pull back to catch your breath, Ryan smiles up at you. “Do you ever think about what would have happened if we stayed?”

You contemplate for a moment. “Sometimes,” you admit, your arms sliding around his neck. “But we haven’t been critically injured in five years, so I call that a win.”

One of your hands runs down his shoulder to gently trace the scar left by Ted’s bullet. His hand runs up your arm, and his thumb traces the thin scar left by the bullet that grazed you. It’s very faint, but he always notices it. “True,” he says. “I swore to myself that after what the Boss did to you, I would never let it happen again.”

“And it hasn’t,” you remind him. You both are much smarter about the people you deal with. You rarely ever meet anyone in person anymore. Everything is done through third parties or digitally. It really cuts down on the chances of being jumped, shot or kidnapped...again.

Ryan falls silent and you can tell he’s thinking. You don’t need to ask what it’s about.

“You miss the crew.”

He nods. “Yeah, I do,” he says. “They were jackasses, but they were still my friends.”

When he doesn’t continue, you ask tentatively, “Do you want to contact them?”

Ryan shakes his head. “No,” he says. “They’ve moved on. We’ve moved on. Contacting them now would just open old wounds.”

You don’t push the subject. You’ve learned long ago that if he doesn’t want to do something, there’s typically nothing you can say that will change his mind. On rare occasions you can seduce him into agreeing with you, but only for trivial things. Besides, in this particular situation you two are on the same side. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” he says, hugging you tighter against him. “Heard anything worth looking into?”

“There’s going to be an art gallery opening in Milan,” you say. “We haven’t been there in awhile. Could be some nice things worth swiping.”

“Last time we were in Milan it didn’t really end well,” Ryan reminds you.

“Hey that model tried to come after me first,” you tell him. “It’s not my fault she ran into my elbow...twice.”

Ryan laughs and you can’t help but grin. You’ve missed that sound. “You’re so scrappy. I love it.”

“If I learned anything from our past excursions, it’s hit first, ask questions second,” you tell him. “Especially if some skank is trying to hit on you.”

At this Ryan rolls his eyes. “You were the one who told me to flirt with her so you could swipe some of her stuff,” he points out.

“Sure, put all the blame on me,” you tease. “Her diamonds look much better on me anyways. And I never gave her permission to touch your ass.”

“My hero,” Ryan chuckles, placing a peck on your nose.

You make a move to slide off his lap, but Ryan tightens his hold on you. “Where are you going?”

“To actually clean myself,” you tell him. “I want to get a quick nap in before dinner.”

“Oh, good point.”

After washing up and climbing out, you smile at how much more relaxed and cleaned up Ryan looks now. There are still heavy bags under his eyes, but nothing a few good night’s sleep won’t cure. He always looks exhausted when coming back from a prison job. Both of you rarely sleep when he’s away. You climb into bed and the feel and smell of your sheets immediately puts you at ease. Ryan’s arms circle around you and he pulls you tight against his chest.

Sleep comes quickly, but the nap is over far sooner than you would like.

The cook has outdone himself however, and you and Ryan eat until you’re ready to burst. After, you take a leisurely walk on the beach.

“Do you know we have a reputation now?” Ryan asks, after walking in silence for a bit.

“Do we?” you ask, raising your eyebrow at him and slipping your arm around his waist.

Ryan nods. “There were whispers about us at the prison,” he says. “Wild stories about what kind of shenanigans we’ve been getting up to.”

You chuckle. “Fox and the Mad King,” you say. “Super awesome criminal team?”

“Something like that,” Ryan says. “Most of the stuff was just rumors, and a lot of it wasn’t true. Still, we should lay low for awhile. Wouldn’t want to draw too much attention.”

“Good call,” you say. “Would be easier to lay low if you didn’t insist on codenames.”

“Hey, I never thought they would actually catch,” Ryan chuckles.

“With all the jobs we’ve done? Of course they were going to catch,” you say.

Usually you both can walk the beach for hours, but exhaustion is getting the better of you and so you return to your bedroom. You’ve forgotten how lowkey things tend to be after a job. You and Ryan either spend your time sleeping, eating or rolling around in bed.

It’s a great life.

This time when you slide beneath the sheets, his hands begin to run across your smooth skin. Only moonlight streams into the room now and it illuminates Ryan’s features. He looks so relaxed and content. He smiles at you softly before leaning down to capture your lips.

You happily respond, your own hands seeking to feel his hard, muscular body.

Your cellphone on your nightstand begins to vibrate and you pull away from the kiss with a huff of annoyance. “Why would the buyer be calling now?” you grumble.

“Just ignore it,” Ryan says, placing feather-light kisses down your chin and to your neck. “They can wait until the morning.”

You hum in agreement and tangle your fingers in your husband’s hair. “There’s some special attention I’d like from you, Mr. Haywood.”

You can feel his grin against your chest as he begins to move further down your body. “You read my mind, Mrs. Haywood.” He places kisses down your ribcage and it makes you giggle a little at the tickling sensation.

His tongue leaves a warm, wet trail along your hip bone. But before he can reach the spot you so desperately want him to, your phone rings again. An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of your stomach, and you place a gentle hand on Ryan’s shoulder to stop him. “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asks, resting his chin on your abdomen.

“Our buyer never calls twice in a row,” you say with a frown, forcing yourself to sit up. Ryan follows your lead, running a hand through his hair as you reach for the phone. “Hello?”

_“Fox?”_

Your insides turn to ice as you recognize the voice.

“Lindsay?” you ask, your wide eyes finding Ryan’s. “Lindsay, how did you get my number?”

 _“Not important,”_ Lindsay says. She sounds like she’s trying to talk quickly and quietly without being detected. _“Fox, you and Ryan need to come back right now. We’ve got a situation here.”_


	3. Chapter 3

You put the speakerphone on.

“Lindsay, what the hell are you talking about?” you ask.

“You and Ryan need to come back now,” she says. Her voice sounds so foreign here in your safe haven. It makes you extremely uncomfortable.

“Slow down,” Ryan says, his chest resting against your back as he leans forward. “Lindsay, what happened? What’s going on?”

“Shit’s happened,” she says. “Tons of shit.”

“Why are you calling us then?” you ask.

Ryan places a comforting hand on your lower back. “Lindsay, we have nothing to do with Los Santos,” he tells her. “If there’s a problem, I’m sure the crew can-”

“Ryan, there is no crew anymore,” Lindsay cuts him off. “They disbanded years ago.”

You glance at your husband’s face and he looks worried.

When he doesn’t continue the conversation, you pick it up for him. “That still doesn’t answer the question as to why you’re calling us?” you ask. Even if the group isn’t together, wouldn’t the guys still be able to be reached? Unless they aren’t in Los Santos anymore either…

“Look, I don’t have time to explain,” Lindsay says hurriedly. “I’m risking a lot by making this phone call. Just, come to Los Santos as soon as you possibly can.”

She hangs up before you can ask her anything further. You’re so surprised and shocked, neither of you move for a full minute. Eventually Ryan takes the phone out of your hand and tries to call her back. The phone rings several times, but she doesn’t answer and her voicemail doesn’t pick up. You bite your nails nervously as he tries again. This time, it doesn’t even ring. An audio recording comes on and says the number is no longer available.

Ryan hits end and you both sit in silence, staring at the phone.

You don’t even know what to say. What could be so bad that Lindsay would reach out to you? More importantly, what was going on with her? Why couldn’t she answer your questions? Why isn’t she answering her phone now? Why did the guys disband? Where are they now? All these questions repeat themselves over and over in your head as you stare at the blank screen of your phone. You almost expect it to ring again, but it doesn’t.

“Babe…”

Your eyes drag up to meet Ryan’s. He looks scared. There have been very few instances in your relationship when you’ve seen him look this way. You don’t like it. It terrifies you. You climb off the bed and begin to pace, because sitting still right now seems like the stupidest thing to do. You know he’s looking to you for advice. Unfortunately, you don’t have any to give him.

“I…I don’t even have words right now,” you say, running your hands through your hair.

Ryan seems to be in the same boat, because he doesn’t respond. He puts the phone down and swings his legs over the edge of the bed so he can sit properly. His eyes avoid yours and instead are trained on the floor. Two full minutes go by before he clears his throat. “What do you want to do?” he asks, his voice low and almost hollow.

You have no idea.

You stop your pacing and face him, your arms crossed tightly over your chest and your hands gripping your elbows. Your first answer is to do nothing. But you know your husband and that’s not even an option. There’s no way he’s going to ignore such a bizarre and alarming call from the woman who helped you escape the Boss and Los Santos.

“You know Lindsay better than I do,” you tell him. “Was the call legit? Did she seem off?” Part of you wonders if the phone call was simply a ploy to lure you back to your old city. But with the Boss good and dead, there really is no reason for anyone to do such a thing. You and Ryan have made a life for yourselves with small jobs and selling information. No one has anything to gain by grabbing one or both of you.

“I’ve never heard her sound that way before,” Ryan admits and your heart drops. “Something’s definitely wrong. I just have no clue what it is, or why she would need us instead of going to Geoff. Where are the guys? Why can’t she ask them for help? Even if the crew disbanded, we made a pact to be available to each other always.”

He’s never told you this before, and you realize suddenly what running away with you meant. He’s never reached out to them and as far as you both were concerned, they couldn’t reach out to you. “You broke that pact,” you say softly.

His eyes finally meet yours. “It was worth it,” he says, a small smile spreading across his face. “But I have no clue how Lindsay got your number. We’ve been careful. You activated that phone today. Aside from our buyer, no one else has the number. None of this makes sense.”

“You’re telling me,” you tell him. “I don’t like this, Rye. I don’t like this at all.”

“Trust me, I don’t either,” Ryan says. He sits back as he runs both hands through his hair. “Fuck.”

You give him a rueful smile as you walk back over to him. He looks up at you, his lips drawn in a straight line. He wants to say it, but he’s not going to. It’s up to you. Sighing, you drop onto his lap and he wraps his arms around you in a tight hug. Neither of you say anything. You’re both too wrapped up in your own thoughts.

You know there’s no way around it. The solution is simple and inevitable. “We’re going back, aren’t we?” you ask. It’s a pointless question; you already are certain of the answer.

Ryan takes a deep breath before nodding solemnly. “We can’t ignore what just happened. Lindsay needs us,” he says. “The fact that she didn’t even mention Michael worries me. I have this horrible feeling that something big is happening.”

You inhale sharply before slowly exhaling. Part of you just wants to scream and refuse to go. But you’re a fucking adult and there’s no way you’re letting your husband go alone. “If you feel we should,” you say. “You know I’ll go wherever you go.”

Ryan cups your cheek before placing a soft kiss on the other one. He falls back onto the bed, taking you with him. “Why now?” he asks, more to himself than to you. “Why? We’ve built a life here. We decided to slow down…we’re going to start a family in a few years…”

“Isn’t that how it always goes, though?” you ask with a wry smile, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him closer.

Ryan gives a dark chuckle. “Yeah, I suppose so,” he says.

“And this doesn’t have to dictate our future plans. I still want to start a family,” you assure him.

He looks down at you. “Yeah?”

You nod. “Yes,” you tell him firmly. “We will go to Los Santos, we’ll figure out what’s wrong and we’ll solve the problem like we always do. We’ll be back home before we know it.”  

Ryan gives you a smile. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” he says. “Wouldn’t do any good to try to arrange it tonight. The plane hasn’t even had a chance to refuel and it’ll be hours before we get the boat captain back here to get us.”

You sit up slightly and move so you’re straddling his waist. “I’m sorry, Babe,” you say, reaching out to stroke his cheek. “This isn’t the homecoming I wanted for you.”

Ryan’s hands fall to your waist and he thrusts up slightly. “We can still have our proper homecoming,” he says huskily.

Instead of reciprocating, you frown down at him. “Are you sure we should?” you ask. Lindsay’s phone call threw both of you for a loop. And considering the next day is going to be the start of an incredibly long journey back to Los Santos, you both will need all the sleep you can get. Ryan’s eyes search yours, as if he’s reading your mind. He knows your apprehension has everything to do with the situation you’re in.

“Please?” he asks softly. His eyebrows are drawn together again and you reach forward to run your thumb down the small wrinkle between them. Your hand drifts to his cheek and you lean down to give him a small kiss. 

“Whatever you need, love,” you say softly against his mouth.

His arms snake around you and he kisses you again, harder this time and more urgent.

You slowly begin to swirl your hips around, drawing lazy circles on his lap until his cock is rock hard, pressing urgently between your legs. He sighs and grunts as you do, his hand falling to your bottom to grip you tight. He thrusts up against you, and the heat that has pooled in your belly, moves lower to seep between your legs.

You’re soon slick and move against him smoothly. Your mouth is busy tasting your husband’s tongue. He’s already explored your mouth so many times, but tonight it’s like he wants to taste every corner and crevice.

You let out a soft moan as the tip of his cock catches your entrance.

You pull back to take a breath, and as you do, you lift your hips slightly and reach behind you. Grasping Ryan firmly, you give him a few strokes before slowly sinking onto his stiff member. He lets out a long, guttural moan as he bites his bottom lip. You place feather-light kisses along his neck and jaw as you raise your hips up and down. His cock slides smoothly in and out of you.

It’s moments like this that you hold onto when he’s away. How he looks in the moonlight, his eyes wide and staring at you as if you’re the most beautiful creature in existence. He knows you so well, yet he’s always pleased with your response to his touch. You are the same way. You know every twitch, every gasp and every sigh. You know how to bring him right to the edge, and keep him there for hours. He knows how to reduce you to a mass of quivering limbs and trembling thighs.

His hips begin to rise to meet yours, forcing him deeper on each thrust.

You move that way for awhile, keeping the slow steady rhythm you know he needs tonight. After a moment or two, you rest your forehead against his and let him take over your movements. His hands lift your hips before pulling them down until he’s fully enveloped by you. He does it again and again, grunting each time you gasp.

His breathing is coming out in pants now. You run your fingers through his hair, lightly dragging your nails against his scalp before gripping his hair tightly. You grind down against him and swivel your hips, briefly tugging his bottom lip between your teeth. He groans with approval as you do.  

The action spurs him on and he begins to move a little quicker.

Suddenly he turns you onto your back. He pauses for a moment, but it’s only to move your ankles over his shoulders. He gets on his knees and grabs your legs with one arm before thrusting into you as deep as he can. You instantly cry out at the new angle, grasping and twisting the bedsheets. Ryan keeps the same slow pace, but his thrusts are deeper now and more direct. You both are beginning to sweat and you keep your eyes on his face.

His eyes are closed now and he places soft kisses along your ankle. His free hand drops down to stroke your stomach, before moving between your legs. When his thumb brushes your clit, it’s all over.

You’re twitching and spasming beneath him until you come completely undone. He follows right behind you, pumping wildly into your willing body.

Eventually he slows his thrusts before he lets your legs go. They drop uselessly onto the bed and he follows suit, finding his spot right next to you.

Thoroughly spent and satisfied, you slide your arm around his waist and spoon up behind him. Ryan relaxes into your embrace, snuggling under the blanket. “We have to be prepared,” he says, fighting a yawn. “We have no idea what’s waiting for us back there.”

“I’ll take care of it,” you tell him, burying your nose in his soft hair. Ryan’s fingers tangle with yours and he pulls your hand up to kiss the back of it.

“I knew that place would never leave us alone,” he mutters sleepily.

You don’t respond. Instead you continue to hold him until his breathing slows and he eventually falls asleep. You know sleep will elude you. Your mind is too busy going over the phone call with Lindsay. Thousands of scenarios are played out by your wild imagination, each one worse than the previous.

Eventually Ryan’s limp hand slips from yours. Though he’s warm and it’s your first night back home, you carefully climb out of bed. There are lots of preparations to be made, and if you’re not going to sleep you might as well get started. You told him you would take care of it, and you will.

If you’re going to Los Santos, you’re going to be armed and dangerous.


	4. Chapter 4

“What do you want to do first?” you ask Ryan.

You’re approaching Los Santos and the pilot comes on the intercom to let you know you’ll be starting your descent soon.

It’s been an arduous journey and you’re exhausted. You and Ryan are sitting across from each other, but have barely spoken or made eye contact the entire ride. You’re both are tense and worried. You spent the ride reaching out to contacts in the city to try and see if you can gather some preliminary information. Unfortunately the contacts are either not responding or have no information to give. It’s frustrating, but not unexpected.

Ryan sighs and scratches the back of his neck absentmindedly. “I say we track Lindsay down first,” he suggests. “I’m really worried about her and it seems like the most logical option. I know where she and Michael used to live. We can start there and see what we find.”

“Disguises?” you ask.

Ryan nods. “Most definitely,” he says. “We have no idea what waits for us down there. Better safe than sorry.”

You look out the window in time for the clouds to clear. There it is. Los Santos. Just seeing the cityscape makes your stomach churn unpleasantly. You feel a warm hand close around your own and you give your husband a small smile.

He gives you an apologetic look as he squeezes your hand. “We can do this,” he assures you. “We’ll see what’s wrong and then, if there really is no choice, we will stay and help. But I swear, we will be back on our island and making love on the beach in no time.”

You chuckle. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

You sigh and fight back the urge to throw up. “Okay,” you say with a small nod. “We can do this. We are smarter than we were when we left.”

“Very true,” Ryan agrees. “We also have a hell of a lot more resources and experience. And I saw everything you packed for us. We are definitely prepared.”

The weight of the pistol strapped to your ankle proves his point. “Agreed,” you say. You pull out a duffle bag from under your seat and drop it into the seat next to you. “Alright, what do you want to go with? Tourists? Business associates? Regular ol’ civilians?”

Ryan chuckles softly. “Probably regular civilians,” he says. “We need to blend.”

An hour later you both are exiting the plane, dressed in jeans and simple t-shirts. You’re both wearing sunglasses, but he has a baseball cap to block most of his face. You don’t have a hat, but you have a light zip up hoodie in case you need the hood. You and Ryan order your belongings brought to the small apartment you are renting, before you make your way into the small airport.

The few people there pay no attention to you and you decline the offer for a car. Instead you call a cab.

On the drive into the city, you take several deep breaths to calm yourself. If it isn’t for Ryan’s hand clutching yours, you probably would break down. You used to feel so at home in this place. Now it makes you physically ill to be there. Or maybe that’s the anxiety. You were so sure you would never go back, yet here you are.

The cab eventually slows to a stop and you pay the man before getting out.

Once your feet touch the sidewalk, it finally hits you that you’re back. You and Ryan simply stand there for a few moments, trying to collect yourself before continuing on. You take a moment to look around at the familiar sights. Everything is the same, yet so very different. You can’t really describe it.

“Just walk,” Ryan orders. His hand comes to rest casually around your shoulders and you both set off down the sidewalk. Your pace is slow and casual, as if you both are out for an afternoon stroll.

“Where does Lindsay live?” you ask him in a low voice.

“It’s about five blocks from here,” Ryan says. “We all had other places in the city besides the apartment building we shared, you know, just in case. Michael and Lindsay were the only two who didn’t live there full time. She and Michael got their own place after they got married. I want to take some time to look around first though. We’re in the middle of the Boss’s old territory. I just want to check things out.”

The first thing you notice makes you stop walking.

The bar where you and Ryan first met is gone. From the looks of the lot, it burned down some time ago. Construction workers are actually beginning to clear the dilapidated structure away in preparation to build a new one. A wired fence separates the workers from those on the street and you and Ryan stand in front of it, peering in. The alley where you two first had sex is now being taken up by a huge dumpster and a port-a-potty.

It saddens you, but you don’t linger for long. Ryan urges you to keep walking.

You’re not sure what your husband is searching for, but you assume it’s something having to do with the crew. He would know better than you what signs to look for. He doesn’t say anything during your walk. His arm around your shoulders is heavy and he pulls you close, as if he’s afraid someone is going to run past you and snatch you away.

Eventually you find yourself heading towards a large apartment building. “Lindsay’s place?” you ask.

Ryan nods. He leans over to give you a small kiss on the temple, but you know it’s just a way to look behind you.

“We aren’t being followed,” you assure him. “I’ve been keeping an eye out since we landed. We’re good.” His arm slips from your shoulders and you move to take his hand. You tangle your fingers with his and he gives you a small smile, which fades almost immediately.

His mouth is drawn in a straight line as you approach the front of the building. He presses the button to their apartment number and you both wait.

Nothing happens.

You glance up at him, but he avoids your gaze as he presses the button again. There is still no answer.

Just then someone leaves the building and Ryan catches the door before it closes. He gives the street another sweeping glance before ushering you inside. You follow Ryan’s lead up several flights of stairs and down a long hallway. There’s no answer at their door either. The hall is empty however, so you get to work picking the lock while Ryan keeps an eye out. It takes you awhile but eventually you get the door open.

The apartment is empty.

Completely empty. No people and no furniture.

“Well it was a longshot that they would still be here,” Ryan says, standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips.

You close the door behind you and rest against it. “What now?” you ask.

Ryan glances out the window as he thinks. “It’s starting to get dark,” he says. “We should get to our place and regroup. I think we should consider visiting some of the other guys’ places and see if we can get some answers.”

“Why don’t we go to the apartment building?” you suggest. “Wouldn’t that be the best place to check?”

Ryan shakes his head. “They won’t be there,” he says. “We change our main building every two years or so. They also wouldn’t stay there after the whole Boss situation.”

He looks so worried and stressed that you cross the room and slide your arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug. “Hey, look at me,” you tell him. His eyes meet yours. “We’ll find them.”

Ryan sighs heavily, but hugs you back. “I hope so.”

You remain that way for a few moments, letting him take a breath and gather his thoughts before he draws away. “Alright, let’s get out of here.”

\--

The apartment Ryan has rented for your stay is about the same size as your old place. After you lock up behind you, you go about unpacking. The whole thing is already furnished, but you both decided to forgo any servants for safety reasons. If things start to go south, you want to be able to leave at a moments notice with no loose ends. Even your private pilot is already on his way back to the Caribbean on another flight. Ryan will be flying you both back home.

The place seems too quiet as you organize your suitcases. You’re so used to there being constant noise, whether it’s servants coming and going, contractors, construction workers, or even just the sound of the ocean. God do you miss that sound and the salty ocean breeze that sweeps through your bedroom window back on the island.

Ryan gets to work on the security system.

“Who should we try to track down next?” you ask. You avoided the subject on the way back, but you and Ryan need to come up with some kind of game plan.

“Well, the one who is the least likely to have moved is Ray,” Ryan says as he tinkers with the security system panel on the wall. “Tomorrow we’ll visit his place and see if we can get some kind of answers. Any calls?”

You pull your phone from your pocket to check again. “No, nothing.” You and Ryan both had ditched your Fake AH Crew phones years ago, and now you’re wishing you hadn’t. “I have the volume turned up all the way just in case.”

You study Ryan as he works. The tinkering seems to be helping him keep his mind off the situation, since he looks more focused now than worried. Just less than two days ago you were planning to stay home and enjoy each other’s company. Now look at you. This last stint in prison seems to have taken a lot out of him. That, mixed with Lindsay’s phone call has your husband looking like he’s ready to pass out any second. You hate seeing him this way.

He finishes turning on the security system and you watch him test the features. You know it works. He’s very good at what he does. But you also know that he’s just trying to find something to do with his hands to keep himself busy. You slide your feet onto the floor and walk over to him. When you snake your arms around his waist from behind, he freezes for a moment in surprise, before he let’s out a content sigh and leans backwards into your hug.

“It’s been a long few days,” you say softly, your cheek pressed against his back. “Why don’t you come lie down? You need to stop and rest, even if it’s only for a few minutes.”

Ryan presses a few more buttons before closing the panel. “When you’re right, you’re right,” he says. The fact that he’s not arguing with you just proves how exhausted he is.

You lead him over to the bed and drop onto it, pulling him down with you. “We will find Lindsay,” you try to reassure him. “I don’t know what shit is going down, but we will find her and figure it out.”

Ryan smiles down at you. “When did you get so optimistic?” he asks.

You chuckle and hit him playfully in the chest. “I blame you,” you say. “Besides, you’ve been the optimistic one for so long. It was bound to be my turn eventually.”

Ryan leans down and places a gentle kiss on your lips. You return it eagerly, letting out a soft involuntary sigh. Your hand moves up to cup his cheek as you deepen the kiss. There’s no urge to take things any further, so you both stay that way for a few moments.

When he draws back, he takes a deep breath. “I don’t like being here,” he admits.

“Neither do I,” you tell him, stroking his cheek. “It just feels…wrong.”

Ryan nods in agreement and gives you another soft kiss. “You need to promise me something,” he says once he pulls away.

You’re immediately worried at his tone and wording. You regard him suspiciously. “Okay…”

“If something goes wrong-”

“Ryan, don’t-”

“No, please listen,” Ryan interrupts you. “If something goes wrong, and I tell you to run, just do as I ask.”

“No!” you say instantly. “If something goes wrong, I’m going to be right there with you, just like I have been for the last five years. I’m not abandoning you.”

Ryan sighs. “You know I could never live with myself if something happens to you,” he says. “If there’s a way for you to save yourself, I want you to take it.”

“Would you do the same if I asked you?” you inquire.

“What?”

“If it comes down to it, and I ask you to run, would you do it?” you ask. “You can’t expect me to make that promise if you won’t do the same.”

Ryan falls silent and studies your face closely. You both swore to stand by and protect each other. Five years earlier, when you got into that car and drove away from Los Santos, you made a pact to never leave the other behind. Now he’s trying to change the agreement and that doesn’t sit well with you. You know he’s scared, and you are too. But if he wants to do everything he can to make sure you’re safe, he needs to give you the chance to do the same for him.

Eventually he takes a deep breath. “Okay,” he says. “How about we both agree, that if either of us asks the other to run, we listen?”

You still don’t like it, but if he’s willing to agree to the same terms he demands of you, you won’t deny him. “Okay, deal.”

“Good.”

You both fall into silence, Ryan wrapped around you with his head resting on your chest. You gently stroke his hair. The quietness of the room around you is too much and you start to hum a little. At first it’s absentmindedly, but then it takes on the tune of a song you heard years ago. Ryan doesn’t seem to mind. In fact the more you hum, the more you can feel his body relax.

You don’t think highly of your singing voice, but he’s always told you he enjoys it so you pull the comforter up over the both of you and you softly begin to [sing](http://ladyfogg.tumblr.com/post/104331480151/blacked-out-world-anywhere-evanescence-dear).

“ _Dear my love, haven't you wanted to be with me, And dear my love, haven't you longed to be free._ ” You sing very quietly at first, your fingers softly running through his hair. “ _I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you, And at sweet night, you are my own, Take my hand…_ ”

When his voice joins yours, you smile. “ _We're leaving here tonight, There's no need to tell anyone, They'd only hold us down, So by the morning light, We'll be half way to anywhere, Where love is more than just your name._ ”

Your voice fades off, but he continues. “ _I have dreamt of a place for you and I, No one knows who we are there, All I want is to give my life only to you, I've dreamt so long I cannot dream anymore, Let's run away, I'll take you there…_ ”

You join him again. “ _We're leaving here tonight, There's no need to tell anyone, They'd only hold us down,_ _So by the mornings light, We'll be half way to anywhere, Where no one needs a reason._ ”

This time when he fades off, you press a light kiss to his forehead and keep going. “ _Forget this life, Come with me, Don't look back you're safe now, Unlock your heart, Drop your guard, No one's left to stop you. Forget this life, Come with me, Don't look back you're safe now, Unlock your heart, Drop your guard, No one's left to stop you now…_ ”

You don’t even get to the final chorus before you hear him breathing steadily. He’s fallen asleep, so you hum the rest of the song to yourself, your hand drifting away from his hair to rest on his back. Your eyes begin to droop and you too succumb to your exhaustion.


	5. Chapter 5

When you wake up the next morning, Ryan is already up and going through the supplies you brought. 

You lay in bed for a few moments, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you watch him move about the studio. For a second there you forgot where you were. You find yourself disappointed by the unfamiliar surroundings, and by the fact that Ryan isn’t in bed next to you. You slink out of the warm cocoon of blankets and walk over to the dining room area, where your husband has all of your weapons spread out on the table. “Good morning,” you say through a yawn.

“Morning,” Ryan says, stopping his work briefly to give you a quick kiss on the forehead. He goes back to cleaning his pistol. He squints as he leans close to the weapon, carefully scrutinizing every inch. He has the guns grouped by type and you see him muttering to himself as he pulls back from the weapon in his hand to scan the piles.

“What time did you get up?” you ask, pulling at the right side of your shirt to cover your exposed shoulder. Well, not your shirt. His shirt really. At one point in the night he rolled away from you and you were able to strip out of your clothes and throw on the shirt instead. He loves looking at you in his clothes and you figured it would be a nice, familiar sight for him to wake up to.

“Early,” Ryan answers, barely sparing you a sideways glance. This expression and overall demeanor makes you upset. You hate how worried he looks and sounds. He puts the pistol down and reaches for his shotgun.

“Babe, they are all clean,” you remind him, gently placing your hand over his. “I cleaned all of them before packing them away, and before that they hadn’t been touched in months.” You’re finally able to catch his eye and you give him a smile.

Ryan sighs and takes his hand off the shotgun, throwing the rag onto the table next to it. “I know,” he says, giving your hand a brief squeeze. “I’m just antsy. I barely slept at all last night. And when I did it was restless. I need to do something with my hands.”

You come around to his side and slip your arms around his waist. “Feel free to put those hands to good use on me,” you say, grinning cheekily up at him. “I am more than happy to take one for the team if it means it’ll help you.” He gives a snort of laughter and smirks, hugging you back.

“Let me wash my hands and I’ll make you breakfast,” he says. “Then after I may take you up on that offer.” He leans down and gives you a soft kiss. You return it happily, reaching down to gently pinch his bottom.

He jumps at the unexpected action and pulls back, grinning. “No fair,” he says. “You caught me off guard.” His hands move up your sides and he tickles you.

You giggle and dodge his assault. “Stop, your hands are all gross,” you tell him. “Truce.”

He walks into the kitchen area and heads for the sink. You watch him turn on the hot water and he begins to wash the grease off his hands.

“What’s the plan after breakfast?” you ask, making your way to the bathroom. “In case you don’t feel up to fooling around.”

Ryan turns off the faucet and shakes the water from his hands. “No matter what we need to go to Ray’s apartment. Well, last known apartment,” he says, reaching for a dish towel. “I tried calling his cell this morning, but the number is disconnected. Not surprising, but I would be dumb not to at least try it.”

After freshening up in the bathroom, you come out running a comb through your messy hair. He’s already started on breakfast. The smell of bacon frying in the pan makes your stomach grumble and you realize you both skipped dinner the previous night. When you’re done brushing your hair, you toss the comb onto the dresser.

“Do you think there is a new player in town?” you ask him, walking over the the kitchen. You slide onto the bar stool there and rest your elbows on the smooth surface of the countertop.

Ryan frowns. “That’s a random question,” he says, cracking a few eggs into another pan. “Why do you ask?”

You shrug. “I don’t know,” you say. “Just something I thought of last night before I fell asleep. It’s the only reason why I feel Lindsay would reach out to us like she did. Maybe there is a new ‘Boss’ in town and they’re causing trouble.”

Ryan looks thoughtful as he ponders your suggestion. “That could be it,” he says, turning to look at you. “It would make sense. Los Santos can’t ever be left alone for long. There’s always someone trying to take it over. But it’s been five years. At least two or three bosses could have come and gone by now.”

“We should have just set the Boss’s office on fire,” you say sourly. “That would have sent a nice message.”

“And hurt a lot of people,” Ryan tells you, sending you a stern look. He returns to the food cooking on the stove.

You wave him off. “I know, I know,” you say.

You let the subject rest and you both fall into comfortable silence. You’re content to just watch Ryan cooking. It’s been so long since you two had time together that you can’t get enough of him. It’s been even longer since he’s made you breakfast and part of you misses it. Servants are great. But when he makes you breakfast is looks so _domestic_. You miss this. You miss it just being the two of you all the time.

The rest of the morning passes quickly, minus any fooling around unfortunately, and soon you both are preparing to venture out to Ray’s place. Since you’re fairly certain you aren’t being followed, you keep your disguises from the day before. Once again you’re casual civilians out for a stroll.

After countless jobs requiring you to gussy up, it’s nice to wear comfortable clothes for the first time. There’s a chill in the air as you step out of the apartment building, so you pull your hood up. Ryan slips his arm around you. “The apartment is a ways from here,” he says as you begin to walk. “But I want to take another look at things.”

“Why, what’s up?” you ask, hesitantly. “You have your ‘suspicious’ voice.”

“Well, look around and tell me what you see,” Ryan says, leaning close to talk low in your ear.

You frown, but do as he suggests. At first you just see everyone going about their business. The streets are a little busier than you remember them, but you’re used to smaller crowds nowadays. A few construction sites are up and running, some building new stores or upgrading buildings that are falling apart, and had been even when you left. “Construction?” you offer.

“Exactly,” Ryan says. “Look at how much construction though.”

He’s right. The street you're on has three construction sites alone. You think back on the day before when you passed the bar where you and Ryan met. It hadn’t been the only place being worked on.

“Is a lot of construction bad?” you question.

Ryan frowns. “Well, no,” he admits. “But don’t you think it’s a little weird? Half of these buildings were falling apart even when we lived here. Why are they being fixed now. And by who?”

“Maybe the new mayor is actually making good on what past politicians promised,” you suggest.

“I doubt it,” Ryan mumbles.

Now that he pointed it out, it’s all you can see. Your eyes dance from one site to the next, and you ears pick up the noises of jackhammers, drills, saws and whatever other tools they are using. “Well,” you say after a few moments. “I mean, someone is finally cleaning up this place…If it’s not the government, it’s someone with a lot of cash to burn.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Silence overcomes you both again as you keep walking. Ryan’s arm around your shoulders pulls you closer to him. You can feel how tense he is, mainly because you feel the same way. You slide your arm around his waist and give him a light encouraging squeeze.

When you finally get to Ray’s apartment, Ryan presses the buzzer impatiently. No one answers at first, and he doesn’t even wait a full minute before he’s pressing it again, holding down the button this time. Finally, an irritated voice comes over the intercom.

“Alright, alright, what?”

You never thought you’d be so comforted by the sound of Ray’s voice.

“Ray?” Ryan asks.

“Yeah, who’s asking and ringing my buzzer like an annoying bitch?” Ray snaps.

“It’s Ryan.”

“Ryan, who?”

Ryan sighs and rolls his eyes. “You know which Ryan, asshole, now let us in!”

You expect to hear the buzzing of the door, but instead Ray says, “Why should I?”

“God dammit, Ray,” you say. “Will you just open the door?”

“I didn’t hear a please,” Ray counters.

Ryan pinches the bridge of his nose and inhales sharply. “Will you stop fucking around and please open the damn door!”

“There, was that so hard?” Ray asks. You hear the door buzz and you and Ryan hurry inside.

When Ray greets you at the door, you can’t help yourself and pull him into a hug. “It’s good to see you.” He gives you an awkward pat on the back as Ryan steps into the apartment after you and closes the door behind him.

“Yeah, good to see you guys too,” Ray says as you pull away. “What are you guys doing here? We figured when you ran you weren’t coming back.”

“Have you heard from Lindsay?” Ryan asks.

“Not in a few days,” Ray says, turning his back on the front door and leading you down the hallway into the living room. “Why?”

“She called us telling us there was a problem and we needed to get back,” you say. “We haven’t been able to get in touch with her since.”

Ray frowns as he throws himself onto the couch. He throws his feet up on the coffee table, amongst the take out boxes and empty soda cans. “I haven’t heard of any problems,” he says. “Things have been pretty quiet since you shot the Boss. Well done, by the way. I mean, there have been a few people who tried to step up to take his place, but nothing has stuck.”

“Do you talk to Geoff or the others frequently?” Ryan inquires.

Ray shrugs. “Sometimes,” he says. “Not as often as before. After you left, we stuck together for awhile but we really didn’t want to keep going the way we were. Everyone wanted to do their own thing and we kind of just stopped.”

Ryan clenches his jaw and you can see his forehead wrinkle with worry and guilt. “I’m sorry I left you guys without saying anything,” he says.

Ray waves his hand at him. “Don’t worry about it,” he says. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes it is,” Ryan insists. “You guys aren’t even really a crew anymore…”

Ray cocks his head to the side for a moment before he lets out a bark of laughter. “Oh! You thought we stopped because you left?” he asks. He starts to laugh, which makes Ryan narrow his eyes angrily. “Man, you really think highly of yourself, don’t you?”

“We made a pact to stick together and I broke it,” Ryan says in clipped tones. “I doubt that went over as well as you’re implying.”  

“Dude, seriously, it wasn’t a big deal when you left,” Ray assures him, sitting up into a more comfortable position and putting his feet back onto the floor. “Geoff figured you and Fox were going to take off together, once the whole mess was done. It really wasn’t that much of a surprise. Especially when he found out you guys up and got married without inviting us. Rude by the way, really rude.”

“Wait, he knew about that?” you ask. “Ryan paid a lot of money to make sure the marriage license was kept secret.”

Ray gives you a pointed look over his glasses. “Dan followed you that night to keep an eye on you,” he says. “We figured you guys would say something when you were ready to. And the license is still a secret, Geoff made sure it stayed that way. I guess he figured it was the only wedding present he could give you.”

This entire time you’ve been gone Ryan has been beating himself up and making himself sick with guilt over leaving, and it turns out it was all for nothing. His friends were not only okay with the fact that you two got married, but expected you to leave. You reach out to put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder but he pulls away slightly.

“All that aside, we have more pressing issues,” Ryan says. “Can you try calling Lindsay? We’ve been trying to number she called us on, but it’s been disconnected. We were wondering if you have another one we can try.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ray says reaching into his pocket. He pulls out his cell and scrolls through his contact before finding Lindsay’s number. As he sits and listens to it ring, you lean closer to your husband.

“Are you okay?” you ask, placing a hand on his lower back.

He barely casts you a glance before muttering. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He isn’t fine of course. His body screams everything but fine. You don’t push the issue however. It’s neither the time nor the place to get into it. You take a step away from him, giving him space.

“She’s not picking up,” Ray concludes.

“We went by their apartment,” Ryan tells him. “Well, the one where they lived before we left.”

“Yeah, they moved out of that place awhile ago,” Ray says getting to his feet. “If you want I can take you to their current place and check it out with you.”

“If something is going down, we don’t want to get you involved,” you tell him. “It’s probably better if you stay put until we know what the situation is.”

“Well too bad,” Ray says, pulling on his purple hoodie. “If something is wrong with Lindsay and Michael, I’m helping you figure it out.”

Ryan gives him a small smile and extends his hand to Ray. “Thanks, man,” he says as Ray takes it and gives it a firm shake. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you guys too,” Ray tell you, pulling his hood up. “Glad you guys aren’t dead. Now come on. Let’s go see what the fuck is going on.”


	6. Chapter 6

“So what have you guys been up to?” Ray asks.

Ryan is picking up a rental car and while you and Ray wait, you sit outside his apartment building on a bench by the entrance. The silence between you has been a little awkward, but you’re glad Ray’s the one breaking it. 

“You know, stealing shit, selling information,” you tell him. “What about you?”

Ray shrugs. “Not much really. Occasionally I do some odd jobs for Geoff and Jack,” he says. “Mostly stay behind in the van and run tech, but I really don’t have to work. Usually I just stay home and play video games.”

You smile slightly. Sounds exactly like the life Ray would have. “Sounds nice and calm. It sounds exactly like the life you would want.”

Ray smiles back. “It totally is,” he assures you. “It’s a nice change of pace from heists. You can only do so many of those before the stress gets to you. Although, I do miss them from time to time. Where you guys living now?”

You relax a little and allow yourself to lean back against the bench. “We bought an island in the Caribbean,” you tell him. “Completely ours. Can go to the mainland whenever we want, but if we don’t want to leave we have servants to get stuff for us.”

Ray’s eyes go wide. “That sounds fucking amazing,” he says. 

“Well, when this is all settled you should come visit,” you suggest to him. “I mean, I know you hate being outside, but our house is big enough where you don’t really have to go out.”

Ray grins. “I may just take you up on that,” he says. “Sounds like it would be a nice getaway. I guess I wasn’t sure what you guys would be doing. It’s cool that you are still in the game. I think Ryan would go crazy otherwise. Well, crazier.”

You laugh. “Yeah, probably,” you say. You give a slight shrug. “I would probably go crazy too. It’s a little hard being apart for some time, but we decided we aren’t going to do those types of jobs anymore. Eventually we’ll probably stop completely and settle down. We’ve talked about it. But for now we’re just enjoying this.”

“Ryan seems a little on edge,” Ray points out. “He’s really worried, isn’t he?” 

You sigh. “Yeah, Lindsay’s phone call really shook him,” you say. “He just got back from a long job and hasn’t really had time to rest.” You glance at him. “You sure nothing weird or anything has been going on?”

Ray gives you a large shrug and a shake of his head. “No, I swear,” he says. “Everything has been pretty routine around here. This is the first time I’m hearing about any kind of situation. If something is wrong, Geoff would call me right away. He would call you guys too. He’s been keeping tabs on you guys to make sure you’re safe.”

This bit of information surprises you. 

But that surprise is quickly replaced with a stab of regret. It makes you feel guilty that you and Ryan cut ties with all the guys, but they never cuts ties with you. You insisted as such, and Ryan loves you so much he obliged. It’s been five years since you left, and through those years you’ve had time to think about the events leading up to your departure. 

You see now that Geoff was just trying to protect both of you. You’re not proud of the way you treated him, or the way you responded to his worry. Truth be told, you weren’t used to someone actually carrying about your wellbeing. After everything you’ve been through, trust isn’t your strong suit. There have been very few people in your life you’ve put your trust in, and out of those people, Ryan was the only one who hasn’t betrayed you. 

You hope you get to see Geoff so you can apologize in person. 

Ryan drives up and parks alongside the curb, honking for you guys to get in. You and Ray haul yourselves off the bench. You climb into the passenger seat, while Ray slips into the back.

“Where to?” Ryan asks once you both slam your doors. 

“Michael and Lindsay bought a small house on the other side of town,” Ray says as he puts on his seatbelt. “Take a right at the end of this street and go straight for awhile.” 

Ryan nods and carefully pulls into traffic. 

Ray takes his phone out again. “I’m going to give Geoff and the others a call and see if he’s heard from Lindsay or Michael,” he says. 

“Good idea,” Ryan tells him. 

You and your husband share a tense glance. “Are you going to talk to me?” you ask him, you voice quiet so Ray can’t hear. 

Ryan lets out a heavy sigh and takes off his beanie, chucking it into the backseat next to Ray. “I’m sorry,” he says, running a hand through his rumpled hair. He reaches over to give your hand a light squeeze. “I’m just trying to process all of this. I’m really worried about Lindsay and Michael.”

“I get that,” you tell him, leaning back in your seat and getting a little comfortable. You push your own hood back from your face. “It’s just, we talked about this. If I can’t shut you out, you can’t shut me out.”

“I know,” Ryan says, shooting you an earnest look. “I’m not trying to. I just don’t really know how to put into words what I’m feeling.”

Before you can respond, Ray cuts in. “Geoff’s not picking up, but I left him and Jack both voicemails. Gavin’s voice mailbox is full, typical,” he says, shoving his phone into his hoodie pocket. “So I heard some prized diamonds in Milan went missing awhile ago. You guys wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

You and Ryan share a smirk. “Yeah, that was totally us,” you say. 

“Art heist in Paris?”

“Us.”

“Bank robbery in New York?”

“Me,” Ryan says.

“Photos released of the President’s three mistresses?”

“Me,” you say proudly. 

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were still in the game,” Ray says with a low whistle. “No wonder you have to hide out on an island in the middle of the ocean.”

You and Ryan chuckle. “It’s not as bad as you make it sound,” Ryan says. 

“I know,” Ray says, leaning to look out the window. “Your wife already gave me the rundown. Sounds like you guys have it made.” There’s something in his tone that you can’t quite place. It doesn’t sound like anger or resentment. Maybe envy? But Ray’s not one for envy. 

You guys fall silent again, except for a couple of directions from Ray. 

There are no cars in the driveway when you pull up to the Jones’s house. The three of you get out of the car and make your way to the front door, scanning the lawn and surrounding houses cautiously. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Ray rings the doorbell. You don’t hear anything inside, no TV, no voices, no footsteps. Ray rings the bell again and after another minute or so, Ryan bangs on the door. 

“I’ll go around back and see if I can find a way in,” you tell them. You don’t want to pick the front lock out in the open. 

Ryan immediately seizes your wrist as you go to move. “Be careful,” he orders. 

You lean up to give him a quick kiss. 

“Ew,” Ray says. 

You give your friend a mock glare before leaving the front porch to move around back. The backyard is fenced off, but you climb it effortlessly and walk alongside the house. You still don’t hear or see any signs that anyone is home. The grass is a little long, but not more than it would be after two or three days without being mowed. You try the backdoor, but it’s also locked. Since you’re now free from prying eyes, you get to work picking the lock. 

It takes some time, but finally the door swings open and you cautiously let yourself into the house. 

The first thing you notice is the security system is disabled. That’s worrisome. You carefully move through the back room and into the kitchen. There are dishes in the sink and you wrinkle your nose at the smell. It seems they’ve been there a few days. You hear the guys knocking for you on the front door and you make your way through the house to let them in. 

“They haven’t been here in a few days,” you tell them as Ryan and Ray slip into the house and close the door behind them. 

“Did you notice anything off?” Ryan asks. 

“The lawn hasn’t been mowed in a few days,” you tell him. “And there are dishes in the sink. Other than that, nothing seems out of place. Oh, wait, the security system wasn’t active when I came in.”

“Where’s the panel?” Ryan asks. 

You motion to the back of the house and he goes to investigate. “What about you Ray?” you ask. “Notice anything different? You would know more than we would.”

Ray is silent as he takes a look around the living room. “Nothing seems out of place,” he says. “It’s like they left and just didn’t come back.”

“You stay down here with Ryan,” you order, moving towards the stairs. “I’m going to check the second floor. Did you bring anything with you?”

Ray reaches behind him and pulls out the pistol he has tucked into his belt. “Of course.”

You pull your own pistol out and carefully start moving up the stairs. “If you don’t hear from me in five minutes, come check on me.”

Ray nods with understanding and watches as you ascend the stairs, your pistol at the ready. As you reach the top landing, you stop and strain your ears, trying to hear if you’re alone or not. The pistol proves unnecessary as you move from room to room. You three clearly are the only ones left in the house. You finally make it to Michael and Lindsay’s bedroom, but aside from a messy bed, there’s nothing off. Their clothes and jewelry are still there, along with all their toiletries in the bathroom. Ray’s right. It looks like they just left and didn’t come back. An uneasy feeling has permanently taken residence in your stomach.

“Fox?” Ryan calls from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Everything’s clear up here,” you call back, lowering your gun and taking your finger off the trigger. After one more sweep, you head back downstairs. 

Ryan is standing at the bottom of the steps and when he sees you’re unharmed, you see him relax a little. “The security system is working just fine,” he reports. “It looks like it just wasn’t turned on when they left. The logs show the last activity with the front door was the day Lindsay called us.”

“Which would have been about two or so days ago,” you say with a nod. “Alright, so they haven't been here since she called us.”

“Definitely not a coincidence,” Ray says. 

There are suddenly footsteps at the front door and the three of you immediately stand in a line and raise your guns in that direction. The door swings open and you find three pistols pointed back at you. You relax a little though, when you see the people behind the firearms.

Geoff, Jack and Gavin are staring back at you, at first with cold expressions, but soon with confusion once they realize exactly who they’re looking at. 

“Ray? Ryan? Fox?” Jack asks, lowering his gun slightly. 

“Hey guys.” Ryan says. “Long time no see.”

“What are you doing here?” Geoff asks instantly. 

“We got a call from Lindsay saying that there was a situation,” you explain. You lower your gun all the way and put the safety on, to show trust. “When we couldn’t track her down, we found Ray and asked if he heard from her. What are you guys doing here?”

“We got Ray’s message and came to check it out ourselves,” Geoff explains. He also lowers his gun and so do the others. “Good to see you guys.”

“Likewise.”

“Ryan!” Gavin exclaims as he runs towards your husband and throws his arms around him in a large hug. 

Ryan chuckles and pats him on the back. “Hey, Gav,” he says. “Good to see you too.”

Everyone puts their guns away and exchanges hellos. Jack and Gavin give you hugs, while you and Geoff share a tense handshake. 

“What have you found?” Geoff asks. 

Ryan sighs and rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “Not much,” he says, slipping his pistol back into the waistband of his jeans. “The security system hasn’t been tampered with. It shows the last activity in the house was two days ago, right around when we got the call.”

“What did Lindsay say exactly?” Gavin asks. 

“It sounded like she couldn’t say much,” you tell them. “She just said that some shit went down and we had to come back. Any idea what she was talking about?”

The three shake their heads. “None,” Geoff says. “We haven’t had problems since the Boss was taken care of. Few stupid thugs here and there, but nothing to worry over.”

“Any word about Michael?” Ray asks. 

Gavin answers this time. “Nothing,” he says, his expression filled with worry. “Actually, when Ray called I was talking to Geoff about it. I usually see them a couple times a week, but when I called Michael yesterday, he never got back to me. He’s not answering texts or anything. Something must have happened to both of them.”

“Or something happened to Michael and that’s why Lindsay called us,” you offer. 

“Sounds like a possibility,” Geoff says. “But we shouldn’t talk about this here. We need to get to a safe place.”

“Another apartment building safe house?” you ask with a playful smirk. 

Geoff smirks back and the tension between you two lessens slightly. “No, no, we don’t have one of those anymore,” he says. “We’ll go to my house. It’s right around the corner.” 

As you all begin to file out of the house, your phone begins to ring. At first you all jump at the unexpected noise. You pull the phone out of your pocket, fumbling in your rush to answer it. You glance at the screen, hoping to see Lindsay’s number. Instead you see the word Private. You share a suspicious glance with Ryan and answer. “Hello? Who is this?” At first no one responds. “Hello? How did you get this number?”

“Hellllloooo, there,” comes a familiar female voice. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Fox? That’s what you go by now, right?”

You’ve reached the front porch and stop dead in your tracks as you recognize a voice from your past. A voice you thought you would never hear again. The guys are halfway down the front steps, looking back at you with concern. But you turn away from them to face Ryan. “Hound?” you ask softly, your gaze meeting your husband’s. Understanding passes across his face instantly. 

“Yup! It’s me!” Hound says, sounding entirely too cheerful. “Heard you were back in town and looking for someone. I think we have some catching up to do.”


	7. Chapter 7

“So who is this Hound person?”

You’re currently sitting in Geoff’s living room, moving your cellphone around in your hands as you stare at the carpet. You’re twirling the phone between your fingertips absentmindedly. Ryan sits next to you on the couch, his arm draped behind your back, but you’ve barely met his eye since you got into the car.

“Former partner of mine,” you explain. “Well, more than that. We were best friends, we were…” You don’t finish your sentence.

Geoff doesn’t continue for a few moments, waiting for you to complete your thought. Once it’s clear you’re not going to elaborate, he goes on instead. “Did she say what she wanted?”

You shake your head. “No,” you answer. “Just that she knows that I’m looking for someone and we need to catch up.”

“Do you think she’s the one who did something to Lindsay and Michael?” Jack asks.

You look up to meet Geoff’s eye and though you don’t really know what expression you’re giving him, he seems to understand your thoughts on the subject. He lets out a deep breath and runs a hand through his greying hair. “Alright,” he says. “Considering we don’t really have any other leads, let’s assume this Hound person is responsible. We need a game plan. If you’re going to meet her, you can’t go alone.”

“She’s not, I’ll be with her,” Ryan says immediately.

“No,” you tell him, turning to look at him sharply. His eyes grow wide and his mouth goes slack with surprise. You immediately turn your gaze back to Geoff. “No, no, I have to meet her on my own. I need to figure out why she’s here.”

“And I’m not letting you go by yourself,” Ryan says, regaining his voice. “It’s way too dangerous.”

“This is my past, I’ll handle it,” you say firmly.

“Just because it’s your past, doesn’t mean you have to do it alone,” Ryan argues, sitting up in his seat. “I’m your husband. I want to be there with you.”

“At the risk of being shot for interrupting a lover’s quarrel,” Geoff says. “If this does involve Lindsay and Michael, it involves all of us too.”

You feel like the walls are closing in on you. You can feel everyone staring at you and the tension in the air is so thick you feel like you’re suffocating. You abruptly get off the couch. “I need some air,” you mumble before storming off. You make your way through the house until you come to the front door and make a beeline for the outside.

The fresh air helps. You take a few deep breaths before you sink onto the front steps, burying your face in your hands. You’re not out there long before you hear footsteps behind you and the door open and close.

Ryan comes over and sits next to you. “Why do you really want to go alone?” he asks. He really wastes no time anymore. When you’re with someone for so long, you learn to read them. It’s no different with you and Ryan.

You finally look at him. “You know why.”

Over the past five years, you and Ryan have shared everything. Not just your feelings and thoughts, but your past as well. He told you just where he got his skills and murderous streak from, and you told him why you don’t naturally trust people, and why you typically work alone. Hound is that reason. Not the entire reason. But she was the starting point. All the bosses you worked for after built onto the foundation she started.

“It’s been almost eight years since you two broke it off,” Ryan says. “Do you really think she’s holding a grudge?”

You shrug. “I can’t even begin to answer that question,” you tell him. “When Hound and I split up, it was bad. So, so bad.”

“I remember what you told me,” Ryan says carefully. “That’s the risk you run when you’re not just partners.”

“Oh I am well aware,” you say. “You and I both remember how we were when we first started out. But I still gave you a chance.”

Ryan gives you a soft smile. “And I’m eternally grateful for that.”

You don’t tend to dwell on past relationships. Certainly not in this line of work. You have been with a far few people before Ryan, and almost all of them you can’t even remember anymore. But Hound is different. She always was. You guys were partners in every sense of the word. “I’m starting to actually consider the reality that she did something to Michael so Lindsay could lure me here.”

“It certainly seems that way,” Ryan says. He slips his arm around you and pulls you against his side. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out together. Just us, remember?”

You sigh and rest yourself against him. “Yeah, I remember,” you say. “I’m sorry I snapped in there. This is...this is all too much. I wasn’t expecting this to be the reason why Lindsay and Michael are missing. And I know you’re also struggling with everything.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Ryan says immediately, pulling back slightly so he can look you in the eye.

“Thanks, babe, but until we know that for sure, it kind of seems like it is,” you say. “I know Geoff knew we were going to leave. But, I was still the one to ask you to come with me. I was the reason why we lost contact with them. I’m the reason we’re back in this god forsaken city.”

“God you’ve guys have gotten self-centered…” You both look up to see Geoff standing there. He drops down on the steps on your other side. “Everyone has choices to make in life. You guys chose to leave, I chose to let you go without telling you I knew, this Hound chick made her own choices…suck it up and stop pouting. You’re making me depressed.”

“Geoff, I’ve been meaning to tell you how sorry--”

“Fox, you don’t have to apologize,” Geoff says, cutting you off. “I was so used to the guys trusting me, I forgot you didn’t have the same luxury. We both could have handled the whole situation better, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

You can’t help the chuckle that escapes. You miss him being so blunt and honest. It feels comforting and familiar. “What’s the plan?” you ask him.

Geoff shrugs his shoulders. “This is your fight, Fox,” he says. “On that we can agree. We’re still going to help, but I’m not the crew leader anymore. I deflect to your expertise on this situation. You know Hound. Do you think she has Lindsay and Michael?”

You nod. “She has to,” you say. “How else would she know that I’m in town unless she did this to drag me here?”

“When and where are you supposed to meet her?” Ryan asks.

“Tomorrow afternoon, Boss’s old place,” you say.

“God I hate that fucking building,” Geoff says with a noise of annoyance. “I don’t know what it is about that place that attracts these dirt bags but we should really think about tearing it down.”

“I said we should have burnt it down,” you tell him. “Ryan says no.”

Geoff’s eyebrows go up with surprise. “Ryan? Saying no to burning something down?” he asks. “What have you done to him?”

“Oh, so many things,” Ryan grins, nuzzling your cheek slightly. The action is enough to get you to smirk and Geoff makes a noise of disgust this time.

“Gross.”

“Disgusting,” Gavin says coming to sit on the other side of Ryan. Jack and Ray stand behind you guys. “So, what are we going to do to get Lindsay and Michael back?”

“I say me and Ryan, plus one of you go to meet Hound,” you tell them.  

“I’ll do it,” Gavin offers.

“Shouldn’t Geoff go?” Ray asks. “He has more experience.”

“Which is why I need to hang back,” Geoff tells him. “If something goes down, you fucking idiots are useless without me.”

“Very true,” Jack says. “Though I resent that greatly.”

“Plus, Michael’s my boi,” Gavin says. “Gotta do it for him. And Lindsay’s alright too I guess.” Everyone chuckles at this.

“We’ll meet here tomorrow morning,” you tell them. “Should give me and Ryan enough time to come up with a more solid plan, now that we know who we’re dealing with.”

“Who are we dealing with?” Ray asks. “You never really elaborated.”

“She was my best friend,” you repeat. “Years before I even started working for Boss. We were partners and used to be part of a crew before that. We eventually went off on our own, together, but things went south and we broke up.”

“You make it sound like you were dating,” Ray says.

“We were,” you tell him.

“Oh.”

“It was bad,” you tell them. “Something went wrong. She just…she wasn’t who I thought she was, as cliche as that sounds. I had to cut ties and that’s when I started working alone.”

“You think, whatever this is, is a vendetta against you personally?” Jack asks.

“It’s a distinct possibility,” you tell them.

“Are Lindsay and Michael safe with Hound?” Jack asks. “She’s not going to hurt them is she?”

You shake your head. “No, that I do know,” you assure him. “Hound doesn’t do that sort of thing. If she does have them, they are safe.”

You hear as well as feel the guys relax around you. Truth be told if someone other than Hound was responsible, you’d be worried. But you know your ex well enough. After the shit the both of you went through, she would never hurt a hostage. You both had gone through enough of that during your time together. She wouldn’t turn around and do it to someone else. Then again, she isn’t really known for kidnapping either, but she will do anything to get what she wants. You know that all too well.  

“Alright, let’s regroup in the morning then,” Geoff says. “You guys are welcome to stay here if you want.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Ray says. “Wouldn’t really sleep or do much at my place anyways.” Gavin and Jack also agree to stay. You look at Ryan questioningly but he shakes his head.

“Nah, we have a studio about a half an hour away,” he says, getting to his feet. He extends his hand to you and helps you your feet.  

“That means they want to bang without us hearing,” Ray says as you brush the dirt from your jeans.

“Oh for the love of god, go then,” Geoff says.

You roll your eyes and wave goodbye as you both walk to the rental car.

The entire ride back to the apartment is silent. Your head is spinning with what you do and don’t know. You’re already trying to formulate a plan of attack, but you keep getting sidetracked as you think about your past. You’ve tried not to dwell on it much over the last few years. You find it easier to just forget about it and move on. It was easier to do when you and Ryan found each other. You’ve barely thought about Hound since you met Ryan.

Of course Ryan knows everything. During the first year of marriage you and your husband would stay up into the early hours of the morning just talking about the things you’ve been through, the things you’ve done and seen. It was freeing to be able to be so open with someone, without them judging you.

Back at the apartment, you walk in and go straight to the bed, throwing your hoodie carelessly on the floor. You drop your pistol onto the nightstand and bury your face in the mountain of pillows. Ryan locks the front door and turns up the security settings before coming to join you.

“I’m not going to push you to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he says, putting his pistol on the dresser and kicking out of his shoes. He climbs into bed next to you, crawling over until he’s sitting by your side. “But I’m willing to listen if you do want to talk.”

“I don’t,” you tell him, your voice muffled. You slip out of your sneakers and they fall to the floor with a soft thud. “You know what I do want?” You remove your face from the pillows and roll onto your back, a new objective taking priority.

“What’s that?”

“My husband.”

You reach up for him, but he’s already leaning down to kiss you. Your mouths clash together almost painfully and his tongue begins the familiar assault you so desperately need right now.

His hands impatiently push your t-shirt up as you reach down to undo the button on his jeans. He breaks your kiss, but it’s only so he can move down your body and capture your nipple between his lips, gently cupping the supple flesh around it and swirling his tongue around the stiffening nub.

Your hands can longer reach his pants so you settle for sliding under his shirt, seeking the feeling of his warm, toned skin under your palms. He pulls away so you can rid him of the offending garment before he’s right back to what he was doing before, this time to your other breast. The addition of his skin against yours heightens the sensation, mainly because it speaks of promises soon to come.

“I never get tired of seeing you like this,” Ryan mumbles against your chest. His hands help you wrestle the t-shirt over your head and you chuck it off the side of the bed. Pants and underwear are the next to go. 

“Really?” you can’t help but ask. “Do you think you’ll still want me even after I’ve had a kid and my body isn’t as it is right now?”

Ryan lets out a low growl and crawls forward, forcing you to lay on your back again. His hand comes up to cradle the back of your head before it hits the pillow. “Of course,” he tells you. He holds you so close your bodies are perfectly lined up, touching as much as they possibly can. “I’m always going to want you.”

You let a warm smile cross your face and you lean forward slightly so your forehead is resting against his. “And I’ll always want you.”

He smiles back and the next kiss he gives you is tender, almost careful. Like he’s afraid he’s going to break you. Despite the quiet and intimacy of the situation, slow and gentle isn’t what you want right now. Your hand comes up to cup his cheek and you kiss him harder, your tongue easily slithering into his mouth to stroke his. You hook your leg around his waist and gyrate your hips upward, bringing your moist flesh up to drag along his cock.

Ryan instantly groans and grinds down against you.

You move that way until he’s hard and throbbing against you. “How do you want it, my love?” he mumbles into your kiss.

“Fuck me until I see stars,” you order. You slide your hand up to tangle in his hair and yank him towards you with a sharp tug, continuing the kiss you so desperately need right now.

Ryan moans at the action, a sound that never ceases to send a shiver of excitement through your body. By now you know every moan, grunt, and gasp he has to offer, but you never tire of hearing them. He reaches between your bodies to drag his thumb around your clit, causing you to jerk at the motion and press against him in earnest. His index finger glides across your wet mound, but there really is no reason for him to try to warm you up any more than you actually are.

“Don’t tease me,” you gasp between kisses.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Ryan pants back. “Just want to make sure you’re _ready_ for me.”

“I’m always ready for you,” you growl. “I need you inside me.”

Ryan groans and pulls his hips back slightly. He gently pushes your legs apart before taking hold of himself. When the head of his cock presses into you, you can’t help but arch your back with a deep grunt. With a few quick jabs of his hips, Ryan’s fully sheathed inside of you and everything is right with the world. There’s nothing happening outside of that bed and that’s exactly how you need it to be.

He pulls his hips back until he’s almost completely out of you, before he surges back in with a sharp thrust that rocks your body and makes you gasp. Each time he repeats it he feels impossibly deeper than the last and soon both your legs are wrapped around his waist, pulling him in each time he draws back. His hand is still cradling your head and his fingers are now tangled in your hair, pulling slightly so your chin lifts and head tilts back, giving him full access to your throat.

He claims it with a series of bites and licks, hips practically slamming against yours.

“Is this what you needed?” he growls. Your hips twitch up continually to meet his now. “You needed me to fuck you.”

“ _Yes!_ ” you manage to gasp. Your hand still has a fist full of his hair, but the other clings to his back, your nails digging into his shoulder blade. His free hand drags down the curve of your side and swell of your hip before he grips your thigh tightly, using it for leverage. “Fuck, Ryan!”

You feel a sharp tug on your hair and his teeth lightly sink into your throat. “No, not Ryan,” he pants.

“ _James_ ,” you say instantly. You don’t use his first name often, only in times like these. Times when both of you are so lost in each other’s bodies that you truly become yourselves. No codenames or nicknames. Just husband and wife. “ _Fuck, James!_ ”

He says your name too. Your given name that he so rarely utters nowadays. He only says it when you need it the most, when you need him to remind you of who you really are. His soulmate. Just as he is yours.

“Come for me,” he orders, sensing your release before you can even feel it yourself. But then it’s there consuming you and, just as you ordered, stars decorate your vision. “That’s it!”

He doesn’t kiss you when you come. Instead he watches you, watches you bite your lip before crying out, riding the waves and waves of pleasure until it’s all too much and your body collapses into his arms. He keeps pumping into you, until you drag your eyes open to meet his gaze. The second your eyes lock he comes, panting and gasping until he’s too spent to do anything else but collapse against you.

You both lay there in a tangle of limbs, trying to catch your breath. You share a few small pecks, but it’s all you can do. You carefully detach your hand from his hair, smoothing down the places you mused. His hand also comes out from behind your head, but it’s just to smooth your hair back and cup your face. “I love you so much,” he says softly. “And whatever happens, I want you to know that. I would do anything to keep you safe.”

“So will I,” you tell him. “And when this is done, I want out of the game. I don’t want to keep pushing things off for a future date that may or may not come. That’s what you told me when we got married, and it applies to this too.”

Ryan’s expression is hard to read at first. His eyes search yours, and you realize that he’s worried you’re just saying this during the heat of the moment. But he knows you well enough to figure out that’s not the case. “I promise,” he says. “The second we get back home, you’re not leaving our bed until you’re carrying our child.”

The way he says “our child” causes your heart to flutter in your chest and you can’t help but smile. You pull him forward into a kiss, feeling safe and happy for the first time in days.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, it’s Ryan’s turn to wake up next to an empty spot.

You’ve been up for a good hour, carefully choosing what to wear. It’s not really that important, but it gives you something to do. The night prior, after making love, you and Ryan laid out plans for the day, with contingency upon contingency. You emailed them all over to Geoff and the guys so they would be able to study them in time.

There’s really nothing more to do than to wait for the meeting.

Ryan climbs out of bed and comes up behind you, his feet barely making any noise on the hardwood floor. “Good morning,” he says softly in your ear, sliding his arms around your waist.

You sigh with content at the contact. “Good morning,” you say back, gently patting his hand. “Geoff and the guys will be waiting for us. We need to get ready to go.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” Ryan asks, his eyes immediately drifting over to the clock on the wall.

“You looked so peaceful,” you admit. “Plus, I did tire you out last night.”

Ryan chuckles wickedly and his hand slides down to grip your naked backside. “That you did,” he purrs. “Join me in the shower?”

“Tempting, but there isn’t much time,” you tell him. “Besides, I showered already. You go. I’ll dress and make you breakfast.”

Forty minutes later you both are in the car on your way to Geoff’s. When you pull up outside the house, Ryan puts the car in park but doesn’t get out right away. Sensing he wants to say something, you take off your seat belt but don’t make any move to step outside. Ryan turns off the car and pauses as he shoves his hand into his pocket, before he draws out his skull mask.

“Where did that come from?” you ask, adjusting the collar of your tan trenchcoat.

“Geoff,” he answers, turning the mask over in his hands. “He got it from the bar the night we left and held onto it for me. Didn’t think I would see it again.”

“Are you going to wear it?” you inquire.

He’s silent for a second, mulling your question over. He glances over at you. “Is it so bad that I want to?”

You smile. “Of course not,” you tell him. “It was your choice to leave it behind. It’s your choice whether or not you want to wear it again.”

Ryan looks back down at the mask. He bites his lip for a moment before finding the opening and dragging the mask down over his face. You can practically feel the air around him shift. It’s like he’s reconnected with a part of himself that’s been missing. You’re a little wary, because you remember quite well what happened the last time he had that mask. But when he turns to look at you, you can’t help the chuckle that comes out. “Still a fucking freaky mask,” you say, opening the car door as he laughs.

The guys are already waiting on the front porch when you walk up the driveway. They look as tired as you feel and you know they also didn’t get much sleep. You all pile into Geoff’s van, with Jack at the wheel, and head out towards the center of the city.

“So, Ryan,” Gavin asks after a few tense moments of complete silence. “Ray says you guys have an island all to yourselves. Is that true?”

Ryan nods. “Yup, completely private,” he says. “Bought it right after we left.”

“Is it called Bang Island?” Geoff asks.

“Cuz you guys bang all the time,” Ray adds.

You roll your eyes. “Is that really all you guys have taken from our relationship?” you ask, already expecting the answer.

“Duh.”

“Yup.”

“Totally.”

“Of course.”

“It’s good to be back,” you say sarcastically.

“Let me ask you guys something,” Geoff says. He turns in the passenger seat so he can crane his neck around to see you and Ryan better. “If Lindsay hadn’t called you, would you have come back at any point?”

You and Ryan answer simultaneously, having talked about it many times over the last five years. “No.”

“Would you guys at least have reached out to us?” Jack asks, coming to a stop at a traffic light.

You let your husband speak this time. The answer had always been up to him. “Eventually,” Ryan says. “When we were sure you weren’t pissed at us anymore. Of course now that we know you were aware we were leaving, it all seems kind of funny in some twisted way.”

Geoff waves a dismissing hand. “Everyone in the crew was always free to come and go as they pleased,” he says. “I knew the second I told Fox to leave that you were going to go with her. I could just feel it. You guys played the fighting couple really well. I was almost convinced up until that last fight. After, when I was alone and thinking it over, I realized something was off. That’s part of the reason I changed up the plan at the last minute. You guys manipulated us to going after those both buildings, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” you say at the same time Ryan says, “Maybe.”

Geoff makes a noise of annoyance and rolls his eyes. “You guys are fucking lethal together,” he says. “Not for each other it seems, but for other people.”  

The van pulls up to the front of the building and you freeze as you stare out the window. Your mind keeps flashing back to the night you killed the Boss. You still remember being dragged into his office and the horrible beat down you suffered at his hands. Hound’s office is most likely Boss’s old office. You’re returning to the scene where you knowingly and deliberately took a man’s life. It’s not something you do lightly. Your heart is hammering in your chest and you force yourself to take deep breaths so you don’t start hyperventilating.

“We’ll be right out here if you need us,” Geoff tells you. “If we don’t hear from you after an hour, we’re coming in and it’s not going to be pretty.”

“We’ll reach out to you if all is well,” Ryan says, opening the car door. He glances at you. “Are you ready?”

“No,” you tell him. “But we need to find Michael and Lindsay, and I don’t think any amount of preparation is going to make me ready. Let’s do this.”

You, Gavin and Ryan enter the building through the main entrance, per your instructions and are immediately escorted to Hound’s office. You fully expect two beefy armed men to be the ones to meet you, like it was in the past. But you’re escorted by one man, a tall, gangly looking guy in his early thirties. He looks somewhat familiar and you assume he use to work for Boss. Actually, a good number of the people you pass in the halls seem to be left over from the previous kingpin.

While the building used to be quiet and somber, now it seems busy and loud. People are scurrying and running from office to office, shouting information to each other that doesn’t make much sense to you. They look tense, but it seems to be work related and not because their lives are in danger. You’re led to the Boss’s old office door and you hesitate before moving forward. Ryan gently places a hand on your lower back, a gesture that offers the comfort you need. You inhale sharply and step through the doorway.

The first thing your eyes are dragged to is the spot on the floor where you killed Boss. The carpet has since been replaced, which you aren’t surprised about. But in your mind you still see his body lying there, a pool of blood slowly spreading around his stiff corpse.

“You really did a number on this place last time you were here.”

You snap out of your daze and your eyes meet Hound’s. She looks exactly how you remember her: brown skin, unruly dark hair, wide fiercely defiant eyes, fucking smug smile that makes you want to smack her. Well, you didn’t always want to smack her but you certainly do now.

“What are you doing here?” you ask instantly.

“Really? No hello? No asking me how’s it going?” Hound inquires sarcastically. She sits in her chair, leaning back with her feet propped up on the desk. She looks at her assistant, the man who led you into the room. “You can go Lee.” The man nods and turns to leave, closing the door behind him.

“You honestly expect me to just act like nothing happened the last time we saw each other?” you ask, your voice shaking as you try to contain your anger.

“You never could let things go,” Hound says, dropping her feet onto the ground and standing. “I see you brought friends.” She comes around her desk to stand in front of you three. She seems to be sizing each of you up, her eyes jumping from Gavin, to you, to Ryan and back again. Her eyes eventually fall on Gavin. “Gavin Free, codename Gavino. Runs with the Fake AH Crew. Only crew he’s ever been a part of. Loyal to Geoff Ramsey. How’s Meg doing, Gavin? You guys set a date yet?”

Gavin immediately stills next to you. “How did you know that?” he demands. He makes a move to step forward but you grab him by the wrist to stop him. He shoots you a glance and gets the hint, pressing his lips together in a tight line to prevent himself from saying or doing anything that could endanger all three of you.  You would be surprised by Hound’s information, if you weren’t so angry.

Hound doesn’t answer. Instead she meets your gaze for a moment, before turning her eyes on Ryan. You can’t say you aren’t pleased to see her tense this time. “And you must be the husband,” she says slowly, a small hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Ryan doesn’t answer. You see his eyes through his skull mask and they are narrowed with anger and distrust.

“James Ryan Haywood. Codename, Mad King. Wanted in several states for armed robbery, arson, attempted murder, _actual_ murder, former assassin for the CIA--”

“Stop talking,” you order, taking a step to the side so you’re standing between her and Ryan. Your husband’s past is not something he likes to talk about, and the fact that Hound just spouted his deepest secret like it was nothing is one of the things that always frustrated you about her. You glance at Gavin who is alternating between looking angry and nervous. He still remains silent however.

But she’s Hound, so she doesn’t stop talking. “Freelance mercenary, brief stint as a hitman for the mob…” She looks at you and says your name with a shake of her head. “You sure know how to pick them.”

“You sound jealous,” Ryan comments, his voice eerily calm. It’s the first time he’s said anything and you know it’s taking all of his willpower not to do anything stupid.

Hound gives a snort and turns away, pulling a package of cigarettes and a lighter out of her back pocket. “There’s a fine line between jealousy and bitterness,” she says, pulling out a cigarette and popping the end in her mouth. “And I do fucking cartwheels on that line.”

“What do you want, Hound?” you ask, taking a few steps forward. You watch her light her cigarette and can’t help but wrinkle your nose in disgust. The smell is like a trigger and you try very hard to push past the memories invading your mind. Memories of when it was just the two of you against the world. Or at least, you thought that’s how it was at the time.

“I heard you were back in town and were looking for someone,” Hound says. She takes a drag from her cigarette and leans her back against her desk.

“And how do you know all this?” you demand.

“How did you know about Meg?” Gavin puts in. You can tell it’s been eating him up inside every since she casually threw it out there. “No one outside of the crew knows that information. Ryan and Fox don’t even know.”

“It’s what I do,” Hound answers.

“Where are Michael and Lindsay?” you demand.

Hound pauses with her cigarette dangling from her lips. “Who?”

“Michael and Lindsay Jones,” Ryan demands. “Lindsay called us telling us there was a problem and we haven’t seen or heard from her and her husband since. Where are they? What have you done with them?”

Hound takes the cigarette out of her mouth and extinguishes it in the ashtray on her desk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says.

“Enough games, Hound,” you snap, taking another step forward so you’re almost nose to nose with her. “You kidnapped them to lure me here and I want to know why!”

“Whoa! Hey now! I didn’t kidnap anyone!” she denies fiercely, standing up straight. She puts up her hands in a mock surrender. “Kidnapping isn’t my style!”

You don’t believe her for a second. “Stop it!” you snap. “Stop lying! We get a call from Lindsay urging us to come back to this shit-hole and when we do, you just happen to be here waiting for me? How did you get my number? Lindsay had it somehow and she must have gotten it from you! You told her to call me here and I want to fucking know why!”

“I didn’t kidnap anyone!” Hound repeats, a little louder this time so she’s matching your tone. “I knew you were here because I have eyes and ears all over the city. I knew you were here the second you walked off that plane. I saw you arrive and had you followed to try to figure out what you were doing here. I swear, I didn’t do anything to anyone.”

“And why should we believe you?” Ryan asks.

“I’m an information broker,” Hound says. “No, scratch that, I’m _the_ information broker. I don’t do kidnappings. Violence isn’t my thing.”

At this you burst into harsh laughter. “Since fucking when?” you ask viciously.

“A lot has changed in the past eight years, Fox,” your ex snaps back. “Things changed and I changed. People can do that you know. You always did hold a grudge.”

“Hold a grudge?!” you explode. “You tried to stab me in the fucking back!”

“The knife barely touched you!”

“Whoa, hold on!” Gavin says. “You mean she _literally_ tried to stab you in the back?”

“Yeah,” you tell him. “All because our partnership and wasn’t enough. She wanted more. What was the name of the crew you wanted to join?”

“Listen, like I said, a lot can change in eight years,” Hound snaps. “I didn’t ask you come here so we could talk about what happened then. I called you because I knew you were looking for someone. I want to offer my services to help you.”

“No fucking way,” you say instantly. “If you really didn’t do anything to Lindsay and Michael, then we have other problems to deal with. I want nothing to do with you or whatever business you have going on here.”

“Don’t be stubborn,” Hound says. “You need my help.”

“Fuck you!” you snap.

Ryan’s hand reaches out to rest on your shoulder. You don’t want to be touched, but you don’t shrug him off. Your body is heaving with your barely contained rage and you feel like if you stay there any longer you might strangle Hound. Okay, maybe not strangle her. But you could really punch her in the mouth right now and not feel the least bit sorry.

“Wait, hold on,” Gavin says. “If she really didn’t do anything to Michael and Lindsay, then we are back to square one. Maybe--”

“Maybe nothing,” you snap, effectively cutting off whatever he was going to suggest. “We’ll figure this out without your help, Hound. Leave me and my friends alone.” You turn away, with every intention of marching out of that office. This entire meeting has been a giant fucking waste of time. And if you’re going to find your friends, you can’t afford to waste anymore.

“God dammit you were always so fucking hard-headed,” Hound says.

You whirl around to yell at her, but Ryan’s arm instantly comes around you and your words die in your throat. You shift your gaze to meet his and just the calmness in his eyes is enough to force you to take a deep breath.

When he’s sure you’re not going to storm off, or worse, he drops his arm and turns back to Hound. “If you didn’t kidnap Michael and Lindsay,” he says. “What makes you think you can help us find them? And why should we even fucking trust you?”

“Because no one does anything in this town without me knowing about it,” Hound says. “And if your friend Lindsay did get your number, then she got it from someone in this office. Only my people have the technology to track you down that way. And if that’s the case, I need to know who went behind my back!”

“There it is! There’s the angle!” you snap, pointing an accusing finger at her. “I knew you had a fucking angle. You don’t want to help us, you want us to help _you_!”

“I don’t see why the two can’t be mutually exclusive!” Hound says back, hands thrown up in an exaggerated shrug.

“This is so fucking typical!” you snap. “You try to make it seem like you’re doing something for me, but in return you expect me to help you!”

“That’s what friends do, we help each other!”

“We are _not_ friends anymore!”

“Stop, yelling!” Gavin belows. It startles you and Hound so much that you both jump and look at him. He looks furious and his hands are balled into fists. “Michael and Lindsay are still missing. Right now, I don’t fucking care what problems you have with each other. The fact of the matter is, two people I care about very much are gone and we need to find them!”

“He’s right,” Ryan speaks up. He moves to stand in between you and Hound. “Regardless of who needs the other’s help,” He shoots a glare at Hound. “We need to find Michael and Lindsay and figure out why they went missing and who is behind it.”

“I’m not working with her,” you say immediately. Hound makes a noise in the back of her throat and rolls her eyes.

“We may not have a choice,” Ryan tells you.

He’s right. God, why does he have to be right? You look at Gavin for help, but he looks somber. His eyes meet Ryan’s and he gives a small nod. You’re outnumbered.

“This isn’t just our choice,” you say. “The others should get a say too.”

“Take twenty-four hours,” Hound says, moving to sit behind her desk again. “But know the longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be to track them down. I’m offering you a truce. You help me figure out who on my staff is taking on side jobs without my permission, and I’ll help you find your friends. It sounds like a win for both of us.”

“We’ll get back to you,” Ryan says. He puts his hand on your back and turns you away from Hound. You let him and Gavin lead you from the room, even though you already know what the answer is going to be.


	9. Chapter 9

You hold your anger in on the walk back to the car. Your hands are balled into fists and you shove them into the pockets of your coat so the guys can’t see how badly you’re shaking. Ryan opens the door for you and you climb in without even thanking him, while Gavin goes around to get into through the other side of the van.

You know Ray, Geoff and Jack are looking at you guys expectedly, but you can’t even bring yourself to open your mouth, afraid you’ll either curse, scream, cry, or some weird combination of all three.

“What happened?” Geoff asks as soon as Ryan and Gavin both slam their door.

“She doesn’t have them,” Gavin tells him. “She seems to think someone on her staff may be involved though. She’s offering to help us.” After hearing this, Geoff gives Jack a nod. The bearded man puts the van into drive and carefully pulls into traffic. With no Michael and Lindsay, there’s no reason for you guys to stick around the building.

You’re incredibly grateful for this and feel your anxiety lessen slightly as you put some distance between you and Hound. You feel sick to your stomach. You cross your arms over your chest and slouch in your seat, shrinking away from everyone as best as you can in the tight setting.

“What did you say we would do?” Jack asks.

“It’s not just up to us three to decide,” you tell them. “You guys deserve a say as well. She’s giving us twenty-four hours to decide and get back to her.”

“If she really didn’t have anything to do with it, why does she think it’s someone on her staff?” Geoff asks.

“Because apparently nothing happens in this town without her knowing,” Ryan says, reaching up to pull his mask off. He runs a hand through his messy hair and shoves the mask into his pocket. “Also, according to her, the only way they could have gotten our number is if they used her system.”

“So, we expose the person on her staff and we just have to hope they’re the ones who took Lindsay and Michael?” Ray asks. “That’s a lot of speculation with not much to actually go on. We sure she’s not lying?”

All eyes on you again, except this time you have no choice but to reluctantly meet their gaze. “I’m sure,” you say. “But, that doesn’t mean I think we should trust her help. She’s playing an angle. She always does.”

“I don’t know, she looked genuinely shocked we were accusing her,” Gavin says.

“She said she had you followed as soon as she saw you were in town, right?” Ryan asks. You nod. “That’s how she seem to know that you were looking for someone. But she didn’t know about the phone call from Lindsay until we were in her office and told her.”

“So?”

“So, she had already offered her help by that point,” Ryan points out. “Before she realized it could have been someone from her staff. You just didn’t really give her a chance to say it.”

“How do you figure she was offering help?” you ask, a little more sharply than you intend to.

“Why else was she reaching out?” Ryan says. If he is bothered by your tone, he doesn’t show it. “We thought it was because she was the one to take Michael and Lindsay, but it looks like she was reaching out to offer her assistance.”

You open your mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. You sit there for a few minutes, thinking about what he just said. The more you go over the events of the past you days, the more you realize what he’s saying makes sense. However, you’re so angry with Hound that you don’t want to admit it. At least not out loud. Instead you sink into the seat once more, your eyes trained on the floor of the van.

“What do you guys say?” Gavin asks, addressing the others in the car. “This needs to be a crew decision.”

“There isn’t much of a choice,” Ray says. “She says she can help, then we take her help. Even if it could be bullshit.”

“I don’t trust her even slightly,” Jack says. “But if we work with her, we can at least keep an eye on her.”

“That’s true,” Geoff points out. You can tell he’s looking at you, but you refuse to look up again. “I say we do it.”

Gavin agrees, but Ryan doesn’t say anything. You know what the answer is going to be however. Even if he agrees with you, it’s four against two. “Looks like we’re going to accept her help then,” Ryan eventually says. You notice he doesn’t give his opinion on the subject. You know he’s having the same thoughts that you are.

You clear your throat slightly and sit up. “If we’re going to do this,” you say, speaking firmly so that you have everyone’s attention. “We need to set some ground rules. Hound is an opportunist. If she can turn the tides in her favor, she will. We need to remind her that this is our operation and she’s helping us.”

“I am completely okay with that,” Geoff says. “Draw up the guidelines and we can look them over before reaching out to Hound.”

Years ago you would have revelled in the idea that you’re the one calling the shots, but not now. If anything you wished someone would just take the reins from you so you don’t strangle Hound with them. You feel the bile rise in your throat and you remain silent the entire drive to your apartment. Jack drops you and Ryan off before he and the guys head back to Geoff’s. Ryan helps you out of the van and holds your hand as you make your way upstairs, but neither of you speak again until you’re safely in your apartment.

“Babe…”

“Don’t.” You really don’t want to get into it.

“Well, I’m going to,” Ryan says firmly, ignoring the dismissal. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but we have to.”

“What’s there to talk about?” you practically explode. “The fact that we still have no idea what happened to Michael and Lindsay? The fact that we’re now stuck in this fucking city until this is all over? Or the fact that my ex is back in town and now we have to ask for her help?”

“Which ever one will get you to actually talk to me,” Ryan says. “I can’t help you through this if you don’t share what’s on your mind.”

“I thought I was done dealing with her!” you exclaim, shrugging out of your trench coat and letting it fall to the floor.

“I’ve never seen you so worked up,” Ryan says. “You’re always so calm and collected. She really gets under your skin, doesn’t she?”

“Always! She always has!” you tell him. “Even when we were together she would just piss me the fuck off. It’s like every time I get into a room with her I’m reminded of what a sarcastic little shit she is and I just can’t…” You start to breathe heavily and sporadically. Your chest is heaving and Ryan crosses the room to take you by the shoulders.

“Babe, breathe, in and out slowly,” he instructs, trying to stop you from hyperventilating. At first you don’t listen so he takes your face between his hands and forces you to look him in the eye. “I said breathe! Come on, breathe with me. Here we go.”

He takes a deep breath and you struggle to do the same. You inhale sharply, hold it for a second, before slowly exhaling. He nods encouragingly. You repeat the action several times until you feel your nerves settle slightly and your breathing returns to mostly normal. Your hands come up to rest on his until your heart rate slows down and you’re taking steady breaths again.

Even then you don’t talk right away. You focus on your breathing as Ryan leads you over to the bed where he forces you to sit. You watch as he kneels down and undoes the laces on your boots, taking them off for you.

Next he climbs up onto the bed, moving to sit behind you. When his strong hands start massaging your shoulders, you can’t help but release the tension from your body. “Better?” he asks softly.

You hum in response, closing your eyes blissfully for a moment. “Thanks, hon.”

“Anytime,” Ryan tells you, placing a kiss on your temple. “I know this situation is shitty. And I know how you feel about Hound. Lord knows we talked about it enough when we first got together. But you have to look at this from the crew’s point of view. She is the only person we know right now who can help us.”

“I know that,” you say with a heavy sigh, resting back against his solid chest. His hands move from your shoulders to circle your waist.

“Do you want to talk about the last time you guys saw each other?” Ryan asks tentatively, reaching up to calmly stroke your hair. “I know you haven’t wanted to before. And I’ve never pushed you to. But, I feel like it might help you.”

You throw him a wry smile over your shoulder. “You just want to know what happened,” you tease.

He chuckles. “A little,” he admits. “But it’s only because I want to know where you’re coming from.”

He’s right. It seems like he’s always right these days. You rub your eyes tiredly before resting your hands on his arm that’s still firmly around your middle.

“We had already broken off from our first crew by this point,” you begin. “We had been going strong for a good two years, just doing any jobs we could find. Mostly stealing shit. Well, I guess I wouldn’t say we were ‘strong’. We fought all the time. It’s kind of what happens. I loved her, but damn she got on my fucking nerves sometimes.”

At this Ryan chuckles again and moves to lay down on the bed. You follow him, settling down on your side so you both are facing each other.

“We got approached to join some crew. I think they were called the Syndicate or something like that. You know, super original.” Ryan smiles at your exaggerated eyeroll. “They were a pretty big deal where we lived and getting in was really hard. We weren’t interested so we turned them down. Actually, that’s not true. I wasn’t interested. I figured Hound and I were doing okay on our own, and it’s much easier to leave the business when you’re not part of a crew.”

At this Ryan nods with agreement, but he doesn’t say anything, just lets you speak.

“The crew we were with before was just a mess. Completely unorganized and stumbling around like idiots, which is why we broke off on our own. I _thought_ we really wanted it to just be the two of us. Apparently, Hound had other ideas. She started going through the initiation behind my back. Her final task was to kill the person closest to her…”

Ryan reaches out to take your hand. “Which was you.”

You nod. “Yeah. Obviously she failed,” you say. “But the fact that she _tried_ was enough. I packed my shit, changed my name and just took off. See, I was under the impression that if you love someone you don’t try to stab them to death. Silly me.”

Ryan slips his arm around you and shifts closer. His hand wanders up the back of your shirt and his fingers trace the raised scar the runs between your shoulder blades. “That’s where this one is from then?”

“Yup, that would be it,” you say. You and Ryan both are littered with scars and have spent hours telling the stories behind each one, say for the one Hound gave you and a few of his own he refuses to discuss.

“And she never reached out to you after that?” Ryan asks. His fingers are making lazy circles across your skin now and it’s soothing your rattled nerves.

You shake your head. “No.”

“Before you left, did you confront her about it?” Ryan asks. “Did you ask her why she did it? Why the crew was so important?”

“Does it matter?” you ask. “My best friend and girlfriend tried to kill me so she could join a stupid gang that probably doesn’t even exist anymore. I really didn’t want to stick around to hear why.”

“Well, you have your chance to ask her now,” Ryan points out. “Maybe it’ll give you some peace of mind to finally have that answer.”

“But that would require talking to her for more than five minutes without punching her and I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that the next time we meet.”

Ryan laughs at this and his hand wanders down to rest on your waist. “Unfortunately, babe, you’re going to have to,” he says pointedly. “Especially since we need her help.”

You grumble. “Ugh, yeah, I get it,” you mutter. Your eyes meet Ryan’s and his expression in unreadable. “Are you…okay with all of this? I’m sorry I haven’t asked. I didn’t even think about how this might be effecting you.”

“It’s okay, you were going through your own, very understandable, freakout,” he says with a shrug. “My feelings on the subject aren’t important.”

“To me they are,” you tell him. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or--”

“Why would I be uncomfortable?” Ryan asks.

“Because she’s my ex girlfriend…”

“And I’m your husband of five years,” Ryan tells you. His hand leaves your waist and comes up to cup your cheek. “I love you. Every beautiful part of you. And I know you love me. You’ve definitely proven it enough times. Your past with Hound is what it is. I wouldn’t expect you to be jealous if any of my exes come around.”

“Clearly you don’t know me as well as you think you do,” you tell him with a grin.

He gives you one of your favorite deep-bellied laughs and leans forward to give you a tender kiss. You respond by draping your arm over his waist and sliding towards him on the bed so you’re pressed against him. You can’t remember what you ever did without him. Where Hound always gets a rise out of you, Ryan’s presence can instantly calm you.

Maybe talking things out with Hound will help you. That’s not saying you’re ready to forgive her. You doubt you ever will be.

Your thoughts drift to Lindsay and Michael and you feel that wave of worry wash over you again. If Hound is the best way to find out what happened to them, then you owe it to your friends to see things through.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Ryan asks after a few moments.

You’re dragged back from your musings with a sad smile. “I’m just thinking about Michael and Lindsay. I owe it to Lindsay to find them. She helped us both. I will put aside my anger to help them.”

“That a girl,” Ryan grins, pressing a kiss on your forehead.  

“It’s not going to be easy,” you warn him. “It may get violent. And I mean between me and Hound. You may have to stop me from strangling her.”

“Can do,” Ryan tells you. He pulls you into a tight hug and you snuggle into his chest. “You know we still have to draw up some conditions and let her know we’re accepting her help.”

You groan. “Not now,” you tell him. “I just want you to hold me for a little bit more. Plus the longer I wait to tell her, the more fidgety and frustrated she’s going to get. It’s a win-win.”

“You so fucking fiesty, I love it.”

“Damn right.”


	10. Chapter 10

You awaken at some point in the early morning.

The sky is grey and barely any sunlight is poking through, letting you know it’s going to be a dreary day. Good, at least the sky will match your mood. Rubbing your tired eyes, you ease yourself out of bed and wander to the bathroom to relieve yourself and splash some water on your face. When you come back to the bedroom, you can’t help but smile down at Ryan. He looks so peaceful.

You never get over how beautiful he is.

You notice the small hairs around his ears are starting to turn grey and you reach out to gently smooth them down. He doesn’t move. You climb back under the blankets and cuddle up to him. This action causes him to slip his arms around you and pull you against his chest. You feel him nuzzle his face into your hair.

“Hmm, what’s the time?” he mumbles sleepily.

“Early, go back to sleep,” you tell him, running your hand up his chest.

He hums again and practically curls around you, holding you close. His hand lightly caresses your arm and the action makes you smile. One of the many things you love about being together for so long is that all it takes is a soft touch to make you relax. You tilt your head up to look at him and are surprised when his lips catch yours unexpectedly. You kiss leisurely for a bit, until something more primal and urgent takes over. He straightens his body and presses against you tantalizingly, his morning erection twitching against your stomach.

“You should sleep,” you mutter to him between kisses. “It’s going to be a long day. You need rest.”

“So do you,” Ryan says. “And there’s no way I’m going to be able to go back to sleep now.”

You chuckle, reaching down to gently cup him. Him sleeping naked always makes things so much easier for mornings like this. He reaches for the hem of the oversized t-shirt you’re wearing and pushes it up so he can cup your breast. You wriggle out of your underwear and kick it to the bottom of the bed, before throwing your leg over his waist. He wrestles the shirt up over your head and throws it onto the floor.

This time when his arms come around you, his hands are hot and firm as they hold you closer. You reach down and stroke his cock a few times, earning a low growl from your husband before you move so he’s situated between your legs. He presses his hips forward and smoothly slides against you for a few moments before reaching down to grip your leg. He lifts it slightly and you give him a firm stroke before carefully taking him inside yourself.

The angle is awkward, but you’re in no rush so you and Ryan set a steady, slow pace, your mouths seeking each other’s once more.

This. You want this always. No matter what happens in the future, you always want to be able to wake up next to your best friend and make love.

You can’t wait to start a family with him.

You tighten your grasp around his hips with your leg and roll so he’s on his back and you’re on top, picking up the pace. His arms come around your waist and he clutches you against his chest as he thrusts into you, his cock surging in deeper now that he has a better angle. His tongue moves against yours effortlessly and the familiar feeling is so wonderful you can barely stand it. You had almost forgotten you two had been apart for months before this trip.

You aren’t even close when he finishes, but it’s okay because you’re happy that he’s satisfied. You remain on top of him as he pushes your hair back from your face. “Love you,” he says, his voice thick as sleep threatens to consume him once more.

You smile. “Love you too. Always.”

\--

This time when you meet with Hound, it’s just you and Ryan.

The guys don’t take much convincing on the subject, following your lead for this particular situation. Geoff agrees that the less people going into Hound’s office, the less suspicion it will cast. If someone in her staff is responsible, they are probably keeping an eye on her.

You grip Ryan’s hand tightly as you’re led to Hound’s office. Ryan doesn’t have his mask on this time and you’re relieved to be able to look at him and receive his warm, encouraging smile.

Hound’s assistant, Lee, brings you to her office and knocks a few times.

“Come in.”

Hound is sitting at her desk, her fingers dancing across the screen of the tablet she’s studying. She looks up when you enter and Lee closes the door behind himself when he exits. “Quite a list of conditions you have here,” she comments.

“Yeah, well, it’s you.” Your response is laced with sass, but Ryan gently gives you a nudge and you sigh as your hand slips from his. Right, have to play nice.

“Oh hey look, your husband has a face,” Hound says, dropping the tablet on the desk. “Where’s the mask, Haywood? I thought it was pretty awesome. Though you look a _hell_ of a lot better without it.”

“Hound, don’t,” you say immediately.

She throws her hands up in a shrug. “What? I’m just trying to make conversation. Your husband is an attractive man. Shame he hides it with that mask.”

You grit your teeth together and fight the urge to pick up the nearest object and beat her with it.

“It’s okay,” Ryan assures you when you open your mouth to fire off another retort. “Remember what we talked about.”

You clamp your mouth shut and take a deep breath, exhaling hard through your nose. Hound raises her eyebrows in surprise. “Whoa, where did you learn to do that? I didn’t think anyone could make her stop talking.”

You raise your pointer finger at her a take a step towards the desk, but Ryan is quick to hold you back.

“Alright, enough of this,” he says, moving to stand between you and Hound’s desk, mainly so you don’t leap over it to try to murder your ex. “We’re all adults, let’s fucking act like it, okay? Michael and Lindsay are still missing and we need to stop wasting time.”

“He’s right,” Hound concedes with a slight wince. After a moment, she adds, “Sorry, Fox.”

“Apology accepted,” you mumble, but only after Ryan gives you a stern look. You push past the niceties and decide to get down to business. “Were you able to find anything?”

“I did some digging,” Hound says, tapping on her tablet so that the screens behind her turn on. “At first I tried going through the files on you to see if I could at least find a starting point. But nothing, they’ve been cleaned. No logs. So then I tried a different approach. I used your number and tracked it back from there. It took a little while, but I was able to narrow down the day that it was looked up.”

“Any idea as to who looked it up?” Ryan asks.

“Not yet, but the program is almost finished running and then I’ll have a time,” Hound says, motioning to one of the progress bars up on the screen. “From there it’s just a matter of checking the security logs and then seeing who would have the access.”

The three of you fall into awkward silence as you wait. You and Ryan remain standing, despite the two chairs in front of Hound’s desk. The woman herself pretends to busy herself with her tablet, but you know she’s just trying to figure out something to say. “So…how’s married life?” she eventually asks.

You can’t help it. You scoff and roll your eyes. “Like you actually care.”

“Hey! I resent that!” Hound exclaims. “I care…somewhat.”

“Look,” you say firmly. “We may be working together. We may be forced to spend time together. But none of this small talk shit, alright?  The less you know about my life, the safer I’ll feel.”

“Funny, ‘no small talk’ wasn’t in the list of conditions you sent me,” Hound says.

“Don’t be a bitch. As difficult as I know that might be.”

“Well don’t be a twat when I’m just trying to ask questions and be nice.”

Oh so that’s how she wants to play it. You take a few steps towards her desk again. “Oh you little--”

“What did I say?” Ryan exclaims, cutting you off and grabbing your arm to hold you back again. “You’re grown women! If this is the way it’s going to be to work together, then you know what? Truce over. Me and the guys will fucking handle this on our own!”

“Babe!” you respond, turning to him with surprise.

“Don’t ‘babe’ me,” Ryan tells you, letting your arm slip from his hand as you turn your body fully to face him. “You said you could handle this. I know you’re putting aside a lot of hard feelings. I love you, but we both know how important this is. If this really is hard for you, I have no problems sending you on a plane back home and joining you when this is done.”

His words are like a slap in the face and you physically take a step away. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” you snap.

“No, I’m not!” Ryan counters. “This back and forth between the two isn’t helping either of you, and if you can’t push past it to find our friends, I’d rather send you home and out of harms way than continue to  risk your safety.”

“You don’t get to make that choice,” you tell him, jabbing him the chest with your index finger. “You never have! Just us, remember? We swore we would make it through the tough times _together_.”

“And we will,” Ryan assures you. “But you’re only making this situation more difficult.”

“She--”

“The longer we’re here, the more danger you’re in,” he says, taking your face between his hands and forcing you to stare into his wide eyes. “And the deeper we go down this rabbit hole, the more dangerous things become. I don’t care about her, I care about _you!_ ”

 _He’s scared,_ you realize with a start. No, not just scared, he’s terrified. Before you thought it was just for Lindsay and Michael, but now you realize he’s terrified for you. It’s been so long since you’ve been in harms way that he’s not able to handle it anymore. You were so busy being angry with Hound and fighting with her, you didn’t see the bigger picture. You didn’t see just how scared Ryan is for your safety.

“Gee, thanks, Haywood,” Hound says, instantly breaking the tension between you and your husband. “If you two are done fighting, the program just finished.” Ryan drops his hands from your face and raises a questioning eyebrow at you.

Oh you know you two aren’t done. You want to throw your arms around him and hold him close and tell him everything is going to be alright. But you can’t because at this point, you honestly don’t know. And he doesn’t either. You reach out and give his hand an affectionate squeeze before you turn towards Hound expectedly.

“Okay, so it looks like the program looking for your number finished around ten at night,” she says, taking your cue to continue. She gets up from her desk and walks over to the screens, touching them as she moves through the programs to get to the log she needs.

You feel Ryan give your hand a squeeze back before he lets you go so you can move to stand next to Hound. “How many people were in the building during that time?”

Ryan stands on your other side as Hound looks for the answer to your question.

“Awesome, only thirty or so,” she concludes, bringing up the list. She begins swiping away names. “Alright, these people don’t have the necessary clearance, or exited right after the program finished running. Whoever looked up the number would have needed time to shut down the program and clear their tracks. I was only able to find them because I’m just that fucking good.”

You fight back an eyeroll and glance at Ryan, who gives you a small smirk. You watch as the list starts to dwindle, until only about fifteen names remain. “Any of these people stand out?” he asks.

Hound frowns as she looks at the names. You can see her lips move as she reads the names off to herself. Her eyebrows draw together and understanding starts to flicker in her eyes. She turns to impatiently drop her tablet onto her desk before looking at the screen again, her hands moving through windows and programs so fast you can barely keep up. She looks like she’s double checking something.

“What is it?” you ask immediately. “Do you know who it could be?”

Hound doesn’t answer you right away, and you’re not even angry about it. You can tell she’s trying to confirm her suspicions before she says anything to you. Eventually she brings up the list of names again and wipes off all of them except one: Lee.

“Your assistant?” you ask.

“Yes, that son of a bitch,” she mutters. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. He doesn’t have the access himself, but he could totally get my access pin and use it. He also isn’t supposed to be here that late. I never keep him past seven if I can help it. If he’s here late, he’s with me. He was also supposedly across town that night. At least that’s what he told me when I needed him to come with me to a shareholders function.”

“What do you know about him?” Ryan asks, stepping towards the screen. He double clicks on Lee’s name on the list and it drags up Lee’s personal files. Hound brings up the current security logs and you can tell she’s looking to make sure he’s still in the building.

You stand still between them as they work, your arms crossed and a frown that mirrors your ex’s. You don’t know why Lee would do something like this. What’s his connection? “Hound,” you ask. “Did Lee use to work for the guy before you?”

Instead of Hound answering, Ryan does. “Yup, look at this,” he says, dragging his fingers across the file to zoom in and read the font. “He’s been working at this ‘company’ since the Boss took over.”

“I vetted him myself!” she exclaims. “Everything checked out! Everyone who worked with Boss had to go through a rigorous psychological test, along with all my background checks. How did I miss this?”

You realize that when you saw him the other day, he must have looked familiar because you must have seen him the numerous times you came to Boss’s office. “That must be it!” you exclaim turning to Ryan. “That has to be why he’s doing this. Vengeance.”

“Where is he now?” Ryan asks Hound.

“In his office I’d imagine,” she says. “The log says he hasn’t left the building and he has no way of knowing we’re on to him.” She turns to her desk and pulls open the drawer. Instead of pulling out a pistol, in true “Hound fashion” she pulls out a long throwing knife, tucking it in the waistband of her pants and hiding it with her shirt. “Shall we?”

The three of you practically march single-file out of Hound’s office, with her in the lead and Ryan behind you. Lee’s office is only a few paces away from Hound’s, but as she bursts through the door, you’re not really surprised to find it empty. “Fuck!” she snaps. “Look around and see what you can find. He may have just stepped away for a few minutes.”

You and Hound begin to shuffle through Lee’s belongings, trying to find something that could shed a light on what’s going on. Ryan sits at his computer, but when he turns the screen on all he gets is an error message. “He wiped everything,” he says, pressing a few keys to try to get to the main screen. But nothing comes up. “I don’t think he just ‘stepped away’. He’s running.”

“This is a waste then. We need to call security,” Hound says, jerking her thumb to the door.

“Why would your assistant kidnap Michael and Lindsay?” Ryan asks as the both of you follow Hound back to her office. “Even if he did work for Boss. What does he gain from us being here?”

Hound is clearly furious and marches over to her desk, seizing the phone immediately. “I don’t know, but I’m going to fucking find out,” she says angrily, punching in a few numbers. “Security! Lock down effective immediately. Lee Briggs does not leave this fucking building, do you hear me? As long as he’s alive, I don’t care what you have to do to stop him!”

“I’m telling you, it has to be Boss,” you say as Hound continues to bark orders to her staff. “I killed him and now he probably wants revenge on his former Boss.”

“This is a lot to do for just revenge for an old employer,” Ryan says.

“People have done much worse for much less,” you point out. The hair on the back of your neck stands up and you suddenly feel uneasy. You take a deep breath, but wrinkle your nose as something tickles it. The room feels off. Something is different. There’s a weird scent in the air. Your head starts to feel a little fuzzy and you reach out to grab Ryan’s hand. “Babe?”

Ryan turns to you with concern. “What is it?”

You open your mouth to respond, but suddenly Hound slumps against her desk, the phone dropping onto the desk with a loud noise. “I…I don’t feel good…”

Ryan makes a move towards her, but you pull him back as you lose your balance as well, your head spinning.

“Babe!” Ryan exclaims, kneeling down with you to keep you from falling hard onto the floor.

You suddenly recognize the smell. It’s knockout gas. “B-babe…g-g-gas…”

Hound starts to cough violently as she slides off her desk and drops to the ground. “H-Haywood…get her out of here…” she grinds out between coughs, nodding towards you.

Your lungs feel like they are on fire and you also begin to cough. Ryan quickly pulls his mask out of his jacket pocket, pressing it over your nose and mouth to try and block the gas for you. You see his eyes start to look glazed and you know it’s hitting him too. He’s much bigger than you and Hound so it seems to be taking longer.

He makes a move to help you up, but he stumbles back to the ground on his knees. He rips his jacket off and presses it to his face, but it’s too late. The damage is done. “Come on, love,” he coughs out, his voice muffled by the coat. “We need…” He can’t even finish.

Hound is already passed out, and you and Ryan try to crawl towards the door. But the room is spinning faster now and your vision is tunneling. The effort to move proves to be too much and you collapse onto your back, but Ryan keeps trying to move, keeps trying to pull you towards the door.

The last thing you see as you lose consciousness is Ryan dropping onto the ground next to you.


	11. Chapter 11

He feels something on his face and he hears the sound of muffled voices all around him.

The voices are deep. Male. Not Fox. None of them are.

Reflexes and instincts kick in and his arm shoots out to grasp the person he knows is leaning over him, his hand immediately closing around the person’s throat. The muffled voices grow louder and suddenly someone is tugging on his arm, while another person tries to pry his hands away from the person’s throat.

“W-W-Where…” He can’t get the words out before he starts coughing violently. His hand is pried away from the other person’s throat and he reaches up to touch whatever is over his mouth and nose. It’s an oxygen mask, but he tugs it off anyways, find it too constricting. More hands knock his out of the way and put the mask back in place.

He opens his eyes and regrets it instantly as the world spins unpleasantly and his stomach lurches. He knocks the mask away again, but this time it’s so he can lean over the edge of whatever he’s laying on and throw up all over the ground. It’s a gurney, he realizes.

“Ryan, Ryan! Can you hear me?”

Geoff. Geoff is one of the voices. They sound a little clearer now. Geoff’s is the only one he recognizes.

“G-Geoff…?” Ryan asks as an EMT forces him back into a laying position.

“Ryan! Where’s Fox?” Geoff asks. “Ryan, do you know what happened?”

Where’s Fox? What does he mean? _What does he fucking mean?_

Ryan forces himself to sit again and takes the oxygen mask off once more. He can hear Geoff, but he doesn’t know where he is. Instead he grabs the nearest EMT by his shirt and yanks him forward. “Where’s my wife?” he manages to growl. Two more EMTs rush to pin him down. “Geoff! GEOFF! WHERE’S FOX?! WHERE IS SHE?!”

He feels something pierce his arm and he realizes a second too late that they are giving him a sedative. His world starts to go dark again and he can no longer hold himself up. Geoff’s face finally swims before him. “Geoff…” He weakly grabs the front of his friend’s shirt. He wants to tell him about Briggs. He wants to ask him about Fox. But he can’t form anymore words. They put the oxygen mask back over his face and then he’s out once more.

The next time Ryan comes to, he’s in a hospital bed. It takes him a few moments to realize this, as his brain is still a mess from the gas and whatever drugs they pumped into his system. He tries to sit up, but he can barely manage to move his head. At least he no longer has the oxygen mask on. When he manages to turn his head, he notices Jack is sitting by his bedside.

“Jack? What--?”

“We don’t know,” Jack says instantly. “Geoff, Ray and Gavin are looking into it.”

“Jack, where is she?”

This time Jack doesn’t answer right away. He gives Ryan a sorrowful look and Ryan knows what he’s going to say before he says it. “She was gone when they found you.”

The air is suddenly thick and Ryan feels like he’s suffocating. He manages to gain control of his limbs and shoves his blankets away as he pushes himself to sit up.

“Ryan, Ryan, stop!” Jack says, getting out of his seat and forcing his friend to lay down again. “You were hit with really powerful stuff. Not including whatever the doctors gave you. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“My wife is missing!” Ryan snaps. “I have to find her! He has her! He took her!”

“Who’s he?” Jack asks. “You’re not making any sense!”

“Lee Briggs. Hound’s assistant…” Ryan pants, his chest heaving as his breathing becomes unsteady. His heart monitor starts beeping loudly and he struggles against Jack’s strong hands. But he’s weak and his body gives out, dropping against the hospital bed with an unpleasant bounce. “Gav…Gav saw his face. Knows…knows what he looks like.” A nurse comes in to check on him, but Jack waves her off. After giving the two a careful look, the nurse slips back out of the room.

“Ryan, listen, it’ll be okay,” Jack assures him. “I’ll call Geoff. Tell him what you told me. We’ll find her.”

No.

_No._

No. No. No. No.

He doesn’t realize he’s saying these words out loud until Jack grabs his hand. “Ryan, Ryan, breathe! He can’t get far! We’ll catch him! We’ll bring her back!”

“He’s not going to be in the building,” Ryan tells him. “He’s long gone already. She’s gone. My wife is gone!” He fights back tears, too angry to allow himself to cry.

“We have to start somewhere,” Jack tells him, his voice remaining calm and steady. “The building is our best lead right now.”

Ryan’s body is trembling and he yanks his hand away from Jack’s to impatiently wipe away the tears from his eyes. “Call Geoff, tell him who is behind this!”

“I will,” Jack says, pulling his cellphone out of his pocket. “Stay right here. I’ll be back.”

As soon as Jack leaves the room and closes the door behind him, Ryan forces himself to sit. There are no nurses or doctors in his room and he takes the opportunity to detach all his monitors and carefully remove his IV. He swings his legs over the edge of the hospital bed and stumbles as he tries to get to his feet. His legs feel like jelly from the stupid sedative, but he fights through it as he wrestles himself out of his hospital gown.

His clothes are folded on the chair next to the one Jack was in and he struggles into them, his head getting a little clearer with each movement. Once he’s fully dressed he slips his jacket on and carefully moves towards the door. Opening it a crack, his eyes scan the hallway. Doctors and nurses move past his room quickly. A police officer stands guard just a few feet away.

Shit.

Ryan bites his lip, contemplating his options. The second he steps out of that room they are going to be on him, probably wrestling him back into bed or bringing him in for questioning. Thankfully, the fates seem to be on his side because there’s a loud commotion and the officer rushes towards it. Ryan seizes his chance to slip out behind him, quietly closing his room door and pulling up the collar of his jacket. He follows a few paces behind the officer, ducking around a corner before the man can turn around.

“GET THESE FUCKING THINGS OFF ME! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KEEP ME HERE!”

“Hound,” Ryan whispers, recognizing the woman’s voice. She must have caused the commotion. A doctor hurries past the corner where Ryan hides, calling for a nurse. Thinking quickly, Ryan moves towards the sound of Hound’s yells. The officer who was stationed outside Ryan’s room is standing in the open doorway to Hound’s room. Ryan comes up behind him and wraps his arm around his neck before pushing him completely into the room. He nudges the door closed with his foot as he cuts off the man’s oxygen and knocks him out.

“Haywood! Thank god!” Hound exclaims when she sees him. She is bound to the bed, probably because she fought just as he had. Ryan stashes the officer’s unconscious body in Hound’s bathroom before moving to unbind her. “Lee took Fox!”

“I know!” he snaps, practically ripping the bindings away. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, they didn’t sedate me,” Hound says. “Really stupid on their part. Broke a nurse’s nose. I think they are scared of me now.” Ryan helps her to her feet. She seems a little steadier than he is and he shoves her clothes into her hands.

“We don’t have enough time before they come back,” he urges her, moving to the door of her room. “Get dressed. We need to get out of here and figure out where the fuck my wife is!”

“Right behind you,” she says as she throws off her hospital gown and pulls on her clothes. “Lee has an apartment that’s a few blocks away. We need to start there. Where are the others?”

“Geoff, Gav and Ray are going through your office looking for clues,” Ryan tells her, opening the door a little bit to peer into the hallway. “But they aren’t going to find anything. Jack went to call them and tell them about Briggs.”

Hound comes up next to him, fully dressed and ready to go. Having a thought, Ryan lets her take his spot while he goes to check on the officer. He removes the guy’s pistol and slips it into the waistband of his pants. He finds Hound’s throwing knife in an evidence bag in the officer’s jacket and he grabs it.

“Here,” he says, handing it to the woman as he moves to stand next to her. “We need to go now before they come back.”

Hound thanks him as she takes the knife, slipping it under the sleeve of her blazer. “Follow me.”

They slip out into the hallway and walk as casually as possible in the opposite direction Ryan came from. They are both on edge, but remain calm as they struggle to walk properly. The knockout gas mixed with the sedative is making it difficult for Ryan to walk straight and he can’t help but bump into her. Hound slips her arm around his waist to help him stay steady.

But when they turn the corner, they are met with Jack. His arms are crossed and he gives them a pointed look. “How stupid do you think I am?” he asks Ryan.

“Jack, we need to find Fox!” Ryan says as Hound glances around nervously. No one has seemed to notice their absence yet.

“And what was your plan when you manage to get to the parking lot?” Jack asks.

“Steal a car,” Hound admits.

“If you think either of you are fucking driving, you’re insane,” Jack snaps.

“Lee’s apartment is not far from here,” Hound tells him as she moves away from Ryan. “We have to go!”

There’s suddenly shouting coming from the direction they just fled. Their escape has been noticed.

“You guys are going to get yourselves killed if you go alone,” Jack says. He takes his baseball hat off and hands it to Ryan. “Come on. I’ll drive. You guys have to cover up though. They are looking for you.”

Ryan slips the hat on and shrugs out of his jacket, handing it to Hound. She puts it on over her blazer and pulls the collar up, just like he had done before. Carefully and slowly, so not to raise suspicion, they make their way to the parking garage. Several times they have to change directions as security runs past them. But they are able to leave without incident.

Jack has Geoff’s van and moves to open the door for them. The escape has taken most of Hound’s energy it seems because she climbs shakily into the van. Ryan stumbles in after, slamming the door behind them.

Jack climbs into the driver’s seat, pressing a button on his bluetooth. “Geoff? Hound, Ryan and I are going to check out Lee’s apartment. And before you say anything, there is no way in hell we’re stopping them.”

Hound leans forward in between the driver and passenger seats and punches in Lee’s address into the GPS on the dashboard. When she’s done, she collapses next to Ryan, slumping against the window. Jack starts the car, still talking to Geoff about their next move. He pulls out of the parking space and starts maneuvering through the parking garage.

“This is all my fault…” Hound mutters.

“How do you figure?” Ryan asks.

“Obviously I missed something when vetting Lee,” Hound says. “He outsmarted me. That mother fucker is going to pay! If he hurts her…”

“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine!” Ryan tells her. “I told Fox I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her! I told her I would protect her always! We shouldn’t have come back! We shouldn’t have!” It’s all too much and now that their immediate danger is over, he can’t help but bury his face in his hands.

This time the tears do start to fall.

“No, no, no, no, Haywood!” Hound says sternly, pushing herself into a seated position as Jack leaves the garage and pulls into traffic. “You can’t break down right now! Fox can’t afford for you to! Look at me!” She pushes on his shoulder so that he draws away from his hands to look up. “We’re going to find her, okay! Lee may be smart, but together you and I are not only smarter, but _lethal_. He betrayed me! He took the woman that we love. He’s going to _fucking pay for what he’s done!_ ”

The anger in Hound’s eyes mirrors his own and Ryan forces the feeling of defeat away. He needs to keep his cool. He needs to find his wife and then he can unleash the fury that’s building inside of him.

“Jack, do you know what happened?” he asks, looking towards his friend in the driver’s seat.

Jack is done talking to Geoff it seems and glances at Ryan through the rearview mirror. “We didn’t realize something was wrong until the police showed up,” he says, glancing down at the GPS. “When they pulled you guys out and we didn’t see Fox, Geoff and the guys went to investigate while I followed you guys to the hospital. What the fuck is going on?”

“Briggs used to work for Boss,” Ryan says as Hound removes his jacket and hands it back to him. “Fox thought he might be looking for revenge, which is why he took Michael and Lindsay. But before we could confront him…”

“He got to you guys first,” Jack finished.

Hound punches the back of Jack’s seat in anger. “FUCK!” she yells.

“Hey! Watch it!” Jack snaps.

“I’m sorry,” Hound grumbles. “This wasn’t supposed to happen! I just had to call Fox when she was in town. I just had to offer to help her. I brought her right to him!”

“You couldn’t have known--” Jack begins.

“It’s my _job_ to know!” Hound cuts him off.

“Enough!” Ryan says firmly. “Jack, what did Geoff say?”

“They found some knocked out security guards in one of the back hallways,” Jack says. “So they think he took her that way. The cameras are useless. He either turned off the important ones or avoided the ones that were on.” Jack is silent for a second and Ryan can tell he’s contemplating whether or not to continue. “There…there was a little blood by the back exit.”

Ryan’s stomach drops. There’s no way of knowing if it’s Fox’s. Even if she had managed to stay conscious and fight back, there’s a slim chance the blood is his. “She’s scrappy,” he says affectionately. “If she managed to stay awake and he took her, she would have definitely fought back.”

“It’s possible,” Hound agrees. “If he grabbed her as soon as we passed out, that means she wasn’t exposed as long as we were. She could have come to way sooner. She would have done anything in her power to make him bleed.” She makes an angry sound and clenches her hands into fists. “God damnit! She shouldn’t have had to fight back! He shouldn’t have been able to take her!”

“A lot of things shouldn’t have happened!” Ryan snaps. His patience is waning and hearing Hound berate herself isn’t helping. Especially since he’s doing the same thing on the inside. “Griping about it isn’t going to help us or Fox. You’re not fucking psychic. You can’t tell the future.”

“What’s the point of having this job and being in this position if I can’t even protect the people I care about!” Hound counters.

“Did you care about her when you stabbed her?” Ryan says in a low, dangerous voice. His anger is practically bubbling now, and hearing Hound refer to Fox in such a way is the perfect outlet for his rage. Too many nights he listened to Fox tell him about Hound, her voice growing choked as she stopped herself from giving the whole story. Too many nights he held her as she cried about what had happened to her in the past.

Hound glares at him. “You don’t understand.”

“No, I don’t,” he says angrily. “But since we’re obviously going to be stuck with each other, you need to make me understand. I can’t trust you if I think you’re going to stab me through the back, just like you did to her! If you want to find Fox just to settle your own guilt…”

“Look!” Hound snaps, cutting him off. “I didn’t give two fucks about that stupid gang.” Her admission angers Ryan even further, but also confuses him.

“Then why--”

“I just wanted her to get out of the game!” Hound admits, running her hands through her hair so fiercely it sticks up in all directions. “Fox was always too good for me! She was too good for the life we were both thrown into. She wanted marriage. She wanted a family. I can barely take care of myself. I knew if it looked like I betrayed her, she’d leave. We loved each other. But we were toxic for each other. I just wanted her to have a better life.”

“Why didn’t you just tell her that?” Ryan asks.

Hound gives him a pointed look. “You know Fox,” she says. “Would she have let me go if I had?”

Ryan doesn’t need to think about the answer. “No.”

They fall into silence as Jack tries to drive around the traffic. Hound’s mouth is drawn into a tight line as she stares out the window. Ryan reaches down to play with his wedding ring, running his thumb over the band over and over again. It’s what he always did when they were apart on jobs. He would lay in his hotel room or cell, staring up at the ceiling and absentmindedly stroking his wedding band. It gives him a strange sense of comfort.

 _She’s going to be okay, she’s going to be okay,_ he tells himself over and over again. _If anyone can handle herself, it’s Fox._ Some part of him wishes she could hear him. Wishes he had telepathy so he could reach out to her. But he doesn’t. It doesn’t stop him from trying. He closes his eyes and pictures her face. _I love you, babe. I’m coming for you._


	12. Chapter 12

Something wet and cold is dragging across your temple and you wince as a sharp pain shoots through your head. You’re brought back to reality with a jolt and you let out a groan. Your stomach lurches unpleasantly. You know you’re going to throw up, but you’re laying on your back. You vaguely know throwing up like that is bad, but you can’t move yourself into a better position.

Gentle hands turn you onto your side just as you start to dry heave. You lean over the edge of the surface you’re laying on, your stomach contracting painfully. Nothing comes out, but regardless you keep gagging until your body finally gives up.

“Fox? Fox, can you hear me?”

“Lindsay?” you croak questioningly as the young woman smoothes your hair back from your face.

“Oh, thank god you’re awake!” Lindsay says. “Michael, get her some water!”

You hear footsteps move across the room, but when you open your eyes, everything is a dimly lit, spinning blur and you’re forced to shut them again. The washcloth returns to your temple and you hiss in pain.

“Sorry,” Lindsay apologizes. “He knocked you out pretty good.”

Careful hands hold your chin and you feel a cup press to your lips. “Drink,” Michael instructs. “Slowly though…small sips…”

You do as he says and the lukewarm water eases the soreness of your throat. Several times he has to force the cup away so you don’t drink too much at once. When you eventually empty the cup, you chance opening your eyes again. Michael’s concerned gaze comes into focus and you gasp. “What the fuck happened to you?”

His eye is swollen and the area around it is black and blue. His bottom lip also looks like it was split at some point, but is beginning to heal. “Let’s just say I didn’t come willingly,” he tells you. “Are you alright? Can you see properly? Any spots or anything?” He takes your face in his hands and makes you look him in the eye.

“Um…” You blink a few times and shift your gaze from his so you can look around.

“Hey, no, look at me,” Michael orders, giving your face a light squeeze.

You try to focus on his face. It’s a little difficult, but you can manage. You have a mild concussion at the very least. The longer Michael forces you to look at him however, the easier it becomes. Aside from being slightly fuzzy, your vision doesn’t seem to be impaired in any way.

“Everything seems normal,” you tell him. “No spots or anything. Just a little fuzzy. Where are we?”

“Fuck if we know,” Lindsay says as Michael lets you go. She carefully rolls you onto your back so your head is resting in her lap again. “Do you remember what happened?”

It’s all a colorful and painful blur. At first you can’t really make sense of the memories, so it takes you a few moments to sort things out. “I remember smelling gas. I remember Ryan trying to get me out,” you tell them, your face scrunched up as you try to recall the hazy memories. “Then the next thing I know I was being carried away.”

But not by your husband. That’s right. Ryan didn’t carry you out.

“Briggs took me.” You shut your eyes again so you can try to focus on remembering. Everything is starting to flood back at once and it’s difficult for you to sort out the order of events. “I came to when he was taking me. I…I think I fought back? I…yanked his hair when I realized what was going on and then hit him in the throat. He dropped me.” Your wrist throbs painfully at the memory of you falling to the marble floor and trying to catch yourself. “He tried to grab me again and I kicked him in the nose. I think I made him bleed. Then just blackness again.”

Lindsay tenderly touches the bump on your temple. “He must have gained the upper hand and knocked you out,” she says.

You open your eyes again and stare past her at the concrete ceiling. The room you’re in is barely big enough to be called a cell. There’s only one cot, where you lay, and a water pitcher with plastic cups in the corner of the room. “I know you don’t know where we are, but any ideas what is this place is?”

“As far as we can tell we’re underground,” Michael says. “I was knocked out when they put me in here, and they blindfolded Lindsay when they brought her. We’ve tried to listen but can’t really hear anything. So, underground. Or just a really big warehouse.”

“I’m so glad you guys are alright,” you tell them.

“We’d be better if we knew what the fuck was going on,” Lindsay says, pressing the cool rag to your head and holding it there. “God when he made me call you…I hoped you would realize it was a trap.”

“It definitely crossed our minds,” you tell her. “But we couldn’t just ignore it. We knew something was wrong. What happened with you guys?”

“I was just fucking hanging out at home and these fuckers burst into my house!” Michael exclaims standing up straight. He moves across the room to get you more water. “Took out three of them before they got the jump on me. Woke up in this hell-hole.”

“After I made the call, they threw me in here too,” Lindsay says. “I didn’t fight back because I didn’t want them to do anything to Michael.”

“We’ve tried to escape a couple of times,” Michael tells you, walking back over with a full cup. He sits on the end of the small cot and Lindsay helps you get into a seated position so you can drink again. “After the fourth time, they stopped coming so frequently. They changed up their rounds too. Now we never know when they are going to drop in.”

“Fox, what’s going on?” Lindsay asks. “What does he want with us?”

“He doesn’t want anything with either of you,” you tell them, resting your back against the cool concrete wall the cot is pressed against. Your hands are shaking when you reach for the cup of water and Michael helps you bring the drink to your lips. Once you take another grateful sip, you wipe your mouth on the back of your hand and Michael holds the cup for you. “He wants me. He used to work for Boss. I think he might want revenge.”

Lindsay nods. “Yeah, I remember him,” she says. “I’m surprised you don’t.”

“What do you mean?” you ask with a frown.

“Fox, he was one of the men who beat you,” Lindsay tells you. “Don’t you remember?”

Oh you remember the beating quite well. You remember curling in a ball on the ground as kick after kick hit your legs and torso. You remember Ted’s face, his sick, twisted smile as he laid into you again and again and how you silently prayed for it to stop. But there had been a second man, hadn’t there? You had completely forgotten about him. Ted had been such a key player after that incident, you had completely forgotten that he wasn’t alone in carrying out Boss’s orders that fateful day.

“Shit,” you swear. “He was! Oh my god, how could I forget that?”

“You never had to deal with him again after,” Lindsay says. “Actually, Boss transferred him to another part of the building. Could never figure out why. Thought it was just because he wasn’t as ambitious as Ted was.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

“That whole thing was sort of their ‘audition’ to be Boss’s right hand,” Lindsay explains.

“So do you think this guy is trying to take over as a new ‘Boss’?” Michael asks.

“I don’t even know what to think,” you admit. “He obviously needs me alive for something. I killed the old guy. Maybe he wants to make me suffer or something.” Your thoughts turn to Ryan and you inhale sharply. “God I hope Ryan is okay! Fuck! He was trying to get me out of there! He collapsed right before I passed out. Oh god, we have to get out of here! I have to get back to him.”

You’re starting to panic. Your heart is thumping wildly in your chest and you make a move to get up, but Lindsay and Michael both hold you down.

“Whoa, easy!” Michael orders. “You aren’t going anywhere. That door is pure steel and it’s locked. Besides I don’t think you could stand properly even if you tried.”

“We have to do something!” you say. “We can’t just sit here!”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice,” Lindsay says. “I’m sure Ryan is okay. He’s tough. If the gas was just to knock you guys out, Briggs wouldn’t have used much of it.”

“How could you possibly know that?” you ask. Your mind can’t help but picture Hound and Ryan, dead on the floor of her office as Geoff, Gavin, Ray and Jack stand over them mournfully. Even just imagining it is enough to make you start hyperventilating. The only thing that stops you is Lindsay’s warm hand on yours and her instructions to take a deep breath.

“Because if he wants revenge, he doesn’t just want it on you,” Michael says. “He’s going to want to take it out on Ryan too. Both of you took down Boss.”

“Yeah, but I pulled the trigger,” you tell him.

“I don’t think that’s the only thing that matters,” Lindsay says.

You bury your face in your arms, wincing as the rough material of your trenchcoat brushes the bruise on your temple. You want to cry, but your body is too exhausted and dehydrated to form tears. You let out a series of dry sobs as Michael rubs your back and Lindsay puts her arms around you in a tight hug. “We were going to start a family!” you cry.

“Trust me, we know how that goes,” Michael says.

You look up from your arms to throw him a curious look. His words confuse you for a second, before you catch his meaning and turn to Lindsay. “Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! Really?!”

She gives you a small smile and nods, patting the small bump under her shirt. “Also another reason why I didn’t really fight back,” she says.

You throw your arms around her in a tight hug, more determined than ever to find a safe way out. At least for Lindsay and Michael. “Okay, we need a plan,” you tell them, drawing away from the hug and clearing your throat. You can’t afford to break down. Not now. Not when there’s way more at stake than you originally thought. “What do you know so far?”

“I’ve counted at least five different guards who come and bring us meals,” Michael says. “They aren’t very buff or big, but they have weapons. And they know how to punch.” He points to his eye.

“And physically I can’t do much,” Lindsay says. “Otherwise I would have barreled them down days ago.”

“Ok, so overpowering them may not be an option,” you say. “There are no windows or other ways out of here, so that’s also off the list. Even if we did get out of this room, we don’t know much about the building so we’d be running blindly into danger. Shit.”

“And now you know why we’re still here,” Michael says. “If he wants revenge on you, though, he may come and talk to you.”

“He’s not stupid enough to stay in a room with us alone,” Lindsay says.

“Good point,” Michael says. “But at least then we can maybe get some answers.”

The three of you fall into silence, each reflecting on your rather grim circumstances. There’s really nothing you can do at the moment except wait to see what your captor has planned next. God you hate waiting.

“I’m getting really sick of this getting kidnapped shit,” you say with annoyance, running a hand through your tangled and dirty hair.

“Well, while it sucks that you’re here,” Michael says. “It is good to see you.”

You give a soft chuckle. “Thanks,” you say. “Aside from getting pregnant and being kidnapped, what have you guys been up to?”

They both shrug. “Eh, not much,” Lindsay says. “Things slowed down a lot after you guys left and everyone decided to break off and do their own thing. Michael and I take the odd job here and there. Mostly credit card scams, some light B&Es. But for the most part, we’ve been just settling down.”

“Ryan and I are going to do the same,” you tell them. “Once all this is over. We were going to wait, but after everything that’s been happening in the past few days we promised each other we wouldn’t put it off anymore.”

“Good, you shouldn’t,” Michael says. “Where have you guys been by the way?”

“Caribbean,” you tell him. “We have an island to ourselves. It’s pretty fucking amazing.”

“Oh man, I want to go! You know, granted we get out of this stupid cell,” Lindsay says. “Preferably before I get too big to want to travel.”

You laugh. “Ray also wants to visit,” you tell them. “You guys should just all come back with us. Leave this fucking shit-hole behind.”

“Fuck yeah we should,” Michael says. “After the past couple of days I’ve had, I am more than ready to say goodbye to this place.”

There is suddenly a loud noise as you hear someone unlocking the door and Michael and Lindsay immediately get to their feet. You struggle to get to yours and grasp Lindsay’s hand for support, while Michael puts himself between the both of you and the door.

When it opens, two men enter.

“Mr. Briggs wants to see you,” one of the men says. He looks right at you when he speaks and your stomach lurches unpleasantly.

“Briggs can suck a giant, veiny dick!” Michael spits out. “None of us are going anywhere with you! If he wants to talk to her, he can come in here and talk to her!”

“This doesn’t concern you, Jones,” the other guard says. “Just let us take Fox and we won’t rough you up again.”

“Eat shit!” Michael snaps, taking a few steps towards the guard. Instantly the taller man sinks his fist into his stomach, sending Michael falling to the ground. Lindsay calls to him and runs to his side and you stumble after.

“Stop! STOP!” you snap. “I’ll go with you! Just leave them alone! Don’t fucking touch him again!”

“Fox,” Michael coughs out. “Don’t! We don’t know if he’ll send you back!”

“If we want answers, I have to,” you tell him, letting the guard grab you by your upper arm. “I can handle myself. I’ll come back to you guys. I promise.”

“Fox, please be careful,” Lindsay calls after you as the men drag you away.

“I will!” You don’t know if she hears your response, as the guard slams and locks the door behind him. You allow them to lead you down a long, dark hallway, praying to whatever deity may be listening that you’ll finally get some answers, and hopefully a way to escape.


	13. Chapter 13

 

It takes Ryan, Hound and Jack a little longer to get to Briggs’s apartment than they hoped it would. With all the construction going on, many roads are either blocked or require a detour. They are in the car for almost forty-five minutes when Ryan finally loses his cool.

“What is with all of this shit?” he asks with annoyance as they pass their third detour.

“This place was falling apart,” Hound says, leaning against the door to peer out the window. “Someone needed to take care of these abandoned buildings and actually do something with them.”

“And that someone is you?” Ryan counters.

“Lord knows the politicians weren’t going to. Not by their own choice anyways. Did you see anyone else lining up to do it?” Hound snaps back. “Oh wait, no you haven’t because you haven’t been here for the last few years.”

“I just don’t see the point of wasting your money and time,” Ryan says with a shrug. He had seen plenty of people try to clean up Los Santos in the years before he left. It always went back to being rundown and overtaken by crime. Every time. No matter how noble their intentions were. They had always succumbed to the corruption.

Hound stares at Ryan for a moment. “You think this city is a lost cause, don’t you?” It’s not much of a question, since his answer is fairly obvious before he even says it.

“Yes, I do.”

“Wow, Fox really picked a pessimist to settle down with. Weird since she was always the optimist when we were together,” Hound says. She has an edge to her voice, making it clear she is trying to get a rise out of Ryan. He is just angry and bitter enough to go along.

“It’s funny how being betrayed can change someone’s outlook on life,” he says.

“Alright, look, we’ve both seen her naked, can we cut the bullshit? You just have your panties in a bunch because I’m her ex,” Hound says matter of factly.

Ryan whips his head to the side to look her dead in the eye. “Are you fucking serious right now?” He can now see why Fox had the urge to smack Hound. He was getting there himself. Actually if she kept going like this, he might shoot her in the kneecap just to shut her up. Though, he doubts that would actually work. She probably would just give him shit for not having the balls to shoot her more fatally.

“You’re just upset because I’m a woman,” she says.

Ryan rolls his eyes. “Oh yeah, that’s my problem,” he says with more sarcasm then he’s probably ever used in his life. “My wife’s kidnapped by a man who used to work for the man she killed and blood was found at the scene of the crime. But I’m upset because her ex just happens to be a woman. Has nothing to do with the fact that _you stabbed her in the fucking back_ all in some weird twisted show of affection.”

“Says the man who assassinated thirteen people in the span of--”

“That, has nothing to do with this!” Ryan cut her off sharply.

The car suddenly jerks to a stop so fast, both Ryan and Hound pitch forward. Ryan hits his head on back of the passenger seat and Hound smacks her temple on the window. “OW!” she calls out to Jack.

“What the fuck?” Ryan exclaims.

Jack whirls around in his seat to glare at them, ignoring the screeching tires outside and the curses and honking horns from the other drivers. “For two fucking people who claim to love Fox, you’re both doing a fucking poor job of focusing on the big picture!” he says, his voice booming with annoyance and well maintained rage. “Both of you, shut the fuck up right now or I will kick you out of this damn car and you can walk to Briggs’s place. I’m not going to work with you if I have to listen to this shit the entire time. Fox deserves better than _both_ of you right now!”

Ryan and Hound fall silent, each looking properly ashamed. When neither speaks up, Jack turns back to face forward, puts the car back into drive and continues on, muttering to himself in the front seat and flipping off the cars that are still honking at him.

“See, you got us in trouble,” Hound mutters under her breath.

Ryan shoots her a glare, only to find her giving him a small, half-smile. She looks sheepish and gives him a slight nod. His own lips curl into a small smirk as well as he recognizes her gesture. She’s sorry.

The rest of the car ride is silent, and no one makes any noise again until Jack pulls up outside the apartment building and puts the car in park. “Alright, what’s the plan?” he asks, turning in his seat again to face them.

Ryan pulls his pistol out and checks to make sure it’s loaded, while Hound adjusts her hidden blade. “Hound, you’re going to have to lead since you’ve been here before. I’ll go second. Jack, you can have my back. We have no way of knowing if this is where he’s keeping her or if we’re even going to find anything. If no one is home, we toss the place. I’m not leaving until I’ve made sure we have everything covered.”

Jack reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out a pistol for himself and another for Hound. She declines however when he tries to hand it to her.

“No guns for me,” she says, unbuckling her seat belt. “Doesn’t usually end well.” Ryan takes the second pistol as a backup.

The three of them tuck their weapons away and exit the car. They are on edge as they make their way into the apartment building. They don’t encounter a doorman or any other tenants that would cause any suspicion. Even so, they make sure to keep their weapons hidden until they reach the floor of Briggs’s apartment.

“End of the hall,” Hound says. Ryan sees her blade carefully slide into her palm and she closes her hand around it to keep it hidden. “Last one on the left.”

Ryan nods and takes the lead, drawing out his gun. They creep down the hall as silently as possible, keeping an ear out for any suspicious noises. The building is oddly quiet however, until Ryan realizes that it’s in the middle of the day and everyone is most likely at work still. It would be the perfect time for Briggs to bring her if he needed to. When they reach the apartment Hound indicated, Jack pushes Hound behind him as he also takes out a gun. She seems a little annoyed, but for once she doesn’t argue.

Jack and Ryan share a look as they flank the front door, guns posed and ready just in case they need to fire. Ryan takes a deep breath and mouths a countdown to one before sending a swift kick at the door and forcing it open. It swings forward violently and bangs against the wall as he and Jack charge in, guns raised.

No one is there.

Ryan and Jack remain still for a moment, listening. But they hear nothing. No sounds of someone scrambling to hide or any traps being set off. They carefully go from room to room just be sure, but it’s obvious that no one has been home for several hours.

“Clear,” Ryan calls and Hound comes into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

“No one heard or came running, so I think we’re good,” she says, looking around. “It doesn’t look like anyone has been home since this morning.”

“Toss everything,” Ryan orders, putting the safety back on his gun and slipping the weapon into his waistband. “I don’t want any cabinet or closet left unopened. Search it all.”

The trio gets to work. Jack takes the bedroom, Hound and Ryan work on the living room together.

“It was a long shot that he would bring her here,” Hound says, pulling books off the shelf as she looks behind them.

Ryan is already shuffling through the papers on Briggs’s kitchen table. It’s all mail from the past month or so. He starts to scan the letters quickly. “I’m well aware of that,” he says. “But until we have a lead we have to go with the most obvious places. God, none of this makes any sense. If we knew what his intentions were we would have a much easier time of trying to counter them.”

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Hound asks. She moves away from the bookcase and starts pulling the cushions off the couch. When she sees nothing, she moves on to the tiny adjacent kitchen. There’s the sound of things falling to the floor from the bedroom, signalling Jack’s search.

“I doubt I would be able to stop you if I wanted to,” Ryan says, still digging through Briggs’s mail. All he’s found so far is just bills to that apartment, and his bank statements are clean of anything suspicious or glaringly obvious.

“How did the whole marriage thing come about?” Hound asks. “I mean, I know Fox always wanted to get married and do that whole...thing…” She makes a face and Ryan rolls his eyes again. He’s making a nasty habit of it, though he’s suppose that comes with spending time around Hound. “But, you guys got married not very long after meeting. Given her enormous trust issues, how the hell did you manage that?”

Ryan allows himself a slight chuckle and a shrug. “I just asked her,” he says. “And she said ‘yes’.”

“Really? Just like that?” Hound sounds doubtful, like she thinks Ryan is trying to pull one over on her.

“It really wasn’t that complicated,” he says. “I was mostly truthful with her from the beginning. As was she. She told me she loved me, I told her I loved her. We went through some shit and later she found out I had kept something from her. We talked it out and the next day, I flat out just asked her to marry me right then. Really didn’t have time to overthink it or waste time deciding if it was right. I knew it was. And she did too. Couldn’t imagine my life without her. And frankly, I didn’t want to.”

“I couldn’t imagine my life without her either,” Hound mutters, so softly that Ryan almost misses it.

“But you survived without her,” he points out. “You said you did it to protect her. That’s worth something.”

“Yeah, but that was more to protect her from myself more than anything,” Hound says, opening the drawers in Briggs’s kitchen and dumping everything on the floor as she searches through them. “We were so toxic for each other. Did you know we couldn’t stand each other when we first met?”

“No way,” Ryan says with mock surprise. “ _You_ didn’t get along with someone? But you’re such a people person.”

“I know, right?” Hound says with a smirk, matching his fake surprise. “But yeah, we hated each other. Until we did that first heist and found out we were a pretty good team. We were both assigned surveillance and when it looked like one of our teammates was going to get caught, we improvised and helped them out of it. It was amazing. Got totally shitfaced afterwards and woke up in bed together next day. Suuuuuper awkward.”

“I’m assuming that’s probably why she doesn’t drink much now,” Ryan says.

Hound chuckles. “Probably,” she admits. “But despite the fights and number of lamps she threw at my head, we definitely had some good times.”

“Well, once we find her you guys can talk it all out and kiss and make up,” Ryan says, moving to look through the hall closet. “And I mean that figuratively. You’re not kissing my wife.”

Hound actually laughs this time. “And here I thought you were being the ‘cool husband’ and being all open about her past?” she says teasingly. She takes a look around the kitchen she just single-handedly dismantled and makes a noise of annoyance. Nothing.

“I’m not a jealous person,” Ryan says, yanking all the coats out of the closet and feeling around for any hidden panels or, well, anything really. “But I draw the line at other people kissing my wife. Regardless of gender.”

“Alright, alright, fair enough. I think if I even tried she would stab me anyways.”

“She definitely would. And it would be with your own knife.”

Jack comes into the room suddenly, holding a small box. “Found this in the back of one of his drawers,” he reports, carrying it to the kitchen table. Ryan and Hound abandon their searches to join him. “It was so far back I almost missed it. It’s locked though and I can’t get it open.”

Hound slides her knife out of her sleeve. “Here, let me,” she says. She takes the box from Jack and digs the point of her blade under the lock. With a little jimmying and a bit of force, it pops open and Hound opens the box. Inside is a key with a tag on it. “A key in a locked box? I can’t even think of what to say about that.”

Ryan takes the key out and examines the tag. It’s the kind of tag a landlord would attach to the key of a new apartment. “Not just a key, a spare key,” he says. He squints as he reads the name on the tag. “Eclipse Towers? Why does that name sound familiar? Where is that?”

“Rockford Hills, why?” Hound asks.

Jack hits Ryan’s arm to get his attention. “Fox’s old place,” he reminds him. “That’s how you know it. I remember going there to grab all her stuff after she was beaten by the boss.”

“Why does he have a spare key to her old apartment?” Hound asks. The look she gives Ryan isn’t one that he likes. He’s not even going to entertain the idea he knows crossed her mind.

“I know what you’re thinking and no,” he says firmly. “There’s no way she gave this to him.”

“Plus, look at the tag,” Jack says, turning the piece of paper over to they can see the date stamped on the back. “The key was given to him a year after you guys left Los Santos. He must have moved into her old building.”

“Not just her old building,” Ryan says, turning the tag back around to look at the number scribbled on the front. “Her old apartment.” An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of his stomach and he swallows thickly to fight the urge to vomit. “We need to go there now. I can’t find anything here, and I’m betting that’s because this isn’t where he does any of his work.”

“It’s going to take us a little while to get there with this crap happening outside,” Jack says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to check in with Geoff to see where they are and if they know anything about Eclipse Towers.” He presses Geoff’s number on his phone and puts it up to his ear as he moves to leave the apartment.

Ryan and Hound stay behind for a moment, looking at the small key in Ryan’s hand. “What are you thinking?” Hound asks. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest and she’s biting her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“Honestly?” Ryan asks. “I don’t know what to think. This is just like the shit with Boss all over again. The further we go down this fucking rabbit hole the less anything makes sense. Jack and the guys cleaned that place out. And even after a year, there wouldn’t be any trace of us there. Why would he rent it out?”

Hound motions towards the door and she and Ryan start to follow after Jack. “Maybe he thought you guys would return there if you ever came back?” she suggests.

“Maybe.” Ryan doesn’t think that’s it. Briggs wouldn’t be stupid enough to think they would go back to that place after what happened with Boss. It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be deliberate. No. He rented out Fox’s old apartment for a specific reason and Ryan has a feeling he isn’t going to like the answer. “Let’s get back downstairs. There’s nothing left for us here.”

Hound nods in agreement and follows Ryan out of the apartment.


	14. Chapter 14

The walk to meet Briggs is far too long for your liking.

As soon as they finish leading you down the dark hallway from the cell, they blindfold you. You don’t protest, or fight back. Michael, Lindsay and their child’s lives are at stake and you are more than willing to cooperate if it meant the three of them are safe. The guard’s hand is still tight around your upper arm as he and the other guard lead you towards your destination. You know he’s going to leave marks. You’re not even in Los Santos for a week and you’re already kidnapped and injured.

You really fucking hate this place.

You didn’t bother trying to ask them questions. You know it’s a waste of breath and you are also too busy trying to remember the twists and turns they lead you through.

 _Left, left, right, up set of stairs, right, straight, bump in the carpet, left.._.you think to yourself, trying to commit it to memory. If you, Michael and Lindsay manage to escape, at least you know how to get to Briggs. Or stay away from him.

The guard pulls you to an abrupt stop, and your foot hits what you assume is a door. You hold your breath as you hear him knock sharply.

It swings open almost immediately and the rush of air that comes from inside ruffles your hair. The guard tugs you forward and you pass through the threshold and into the room, but not very far before you’re forced to stop again.

“As you asked, boss,” the man on your other side says as his colleague lets go of your arm.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” Briggs responds. You can’t see his expression, but there is something in the tone of his voice that you don’t like. “I’ll take it from here.”

You hear footsteps come towards you, and a warm, sweaty hand suddenly takes yours. You instinctively yank it away. One of the guard seizes you roughly again.

“That won’t be necessary,” Briggs says and the hand on your upper arm falls away once more. “I only meant to lead you further into the room. Please feel free to remove the blindfold, Fox.”

You immediately yank the fabric away and the lights are so bright in his office, it blinds you for a moment. When you finally are able to see, you note the room is bright because there are several windows in his office. You can’t see much out of them, except you can tell you are far away from the main city. You can tell because you don’t see any building, except in the distance. The more you stare though, the more it looks like you’re on the coast.

“Leave us,” Briggs orders sharply to his men. He’s standing way too close to you for comfort and you make a point of taking a step back from him.

The guards leave the room without a word and slam the door shut behind them. You don’t hear retreating footsteps however, meaning they are waiting in the hall. Even if you could get the jump on Briggs, they would be on you in a second.

“What the fuck is going on and what do you want with me?” you ask. Your hand is still clutching the blindfold and it’s almost comforting. If you can get it around his neck, you definitely take him out. That’s a major “if” thought.  

“You always did cut right to the chase, didn’t you?” Briggs asks. He takes a step back as he notices your apprehension and motions to the comfy looking chair that faces his desk. “Would you like to have a seat?”

“No,” you decline. Your body is still weak and you’re visibly shaking. Your head is spinning from the head injury and lack of food in your system. A seat would feel like heaven. But you’d be damned if you made yourself comfortable around this man.

“I’m really sorry it came down to this,” Briggs says, turning to face you again. You back up until your back bumps into the door, putting as much distance between you and him as you possibly can.

“What is this exactly?” you demand. “We were gone from this place. We were far, far away. We moved on. We were done with all of this. Why the fuck did you drag me back here? Revenge?”

He doesn’t say anything. Instead he studies you for a moment, almost as if he’s happy to see you. It makes you uncomfortable and when he turns to walk towards his desk, you let out a shaky breath. You expect him to sit down, but instead he moves to one of the many windows and opens it. The smell of the ocean washes through the room and while that used to comfort you before, here in this terrible place it makes you sick.

“I knew as soon as you walked into the building the other day that you didn’t recognize me,” he says.

He’s not wrong. You hadn’t recognized him. Lindsay had to point it out to you. “You were the second man to beat me, along with Ted,” you tell him. “You both were trying to be Boss’s number one. Looks like he got the job. And you remember what I did to him. And what I did to your boss. Do you really think kidnapping me was a smart move?”

“I’m not Boss,” Briggs says instantly.

“You beat me on his order,” you snap back. “Now you’re kidnapping me! You’re just like him. An annoying piece of shit, thorn in my side with illusions of grandeur!”

“I’m curious, what do you think my plan is?” Briggs asks. He turns away from the window and crosses his arms, almost in amusement. “You ask me, but I know you’re smart. You must have some ideas bouncing around the brilliant head of yours.”

“I already said it,” you say with an impatient sigh. You hate this. You hate when these wannabe big-shots try to play games with you. They suck at it. You play the game much better. You fucking invented the game. Also, his compliments give you a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. “Vengeance. I’ve been through this time and time again. I’ve brought down other bosses before. Your boss falls, his number one falls and you think you can just swoop in and take over.”

Briggs actually chuckles at this. “Wow, you really have it figured out, don’t you?” he asks.

You hesitate. “Well, I thought I did right up until you chuckled like that,” you admit.

He gives you a smile and it’s creeps you out even more. Your skin crawls and you notice his eyes roam your body with appreciation. You tug your trenchcoat tighter around yourself.

He doesn’t say anything however.

After a few minutes of fidgeting from his uncomfortable stare, you speak up once more. “Let Michael and Lindsay go,” you order. “You have me now. You don’t need them. She’s pregnant. If you hurt her and her baby--”

“I have no intention of hurting Mrs. Jones,” Briggs says, moving to lean against his desk. “I’m sure you know already that she has not been mistreated. She cooperated fully and was brought him with the utmost care. As for Mr. Jones, I cannot guarantee anything if he tries to escape again. So long as he remains in the cell, he will not be harmed either.”

“Well, he just got punched in the gut for trying to protect me from your guard,” you tell him. “What do you have to say about that?”

Briggs’s eyes darken slightly and he stands up straight. “That shouldn’t have happened,” he says crisply. “You have my assurance I will speak to my guards about that.”

You give a dry, sarcastic laugh. “Oh that’s rich,” you say. “I’m just supposed to believe you. You beat me! You kidnapped me! You kidnapped and hurt my friends to lure me back! But, yeah, I’m going to believe you’re going to scold your guard for hurting my friend. What a fucking joke!”

“What can I do to show you I mean you no harm?” Briggs asks.

“Uhh, you can fucking let us go!” you say.

“Besides that.”

It was a longshot, but hey you had to try.

“Fine,” you say, crossing your arms. “Better accommodations then. You don’t want to hurt us, then treat us better. Lindsay needs a comfortable bed, she needs proper food and water and fresh air. We’re not in a warehouse. I thought we were when I woke up, but clearly not. Move us somewhere better. Also, tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Briggs ignores your last statement as he moves to sit behind his desk. He picks up the tablet resting there and quickly presses a few things on the screen. “The accommodations can be arranged,” he says, barely glancing up at you. “My men can take you there when we’re done--”

“NOPE! Wrong,” you snap, cutting him off. In your anger you take a few steps towards him. “I go back to my friends and all of us are moved together. I told them I would come back to them and I meant it. I’m not leaving them down there alone and if your men even try anything when they take me from here, I will end them.”

“How?” Briggs asks, shooting you a pointed look. “You don’t have any weapons. You’re good, Fox. But you’re not that good.”

“Your overfamiliarity does not endear you to me,” you say icilly. “In fact it fucking creeps me out so knock it off! You forget who my husband is. You forget who I’ve been spending the past five years with. Whatever you think you know about me is based on outdated information. My husband has trained me well, I can assure you.”

“I know a lot more about you and your _husband_ than you think,” Briggs snaps. The way he says ‘husband’ sounds like he’s disgusted by the very word.

You note the tone and it causes you to think of a scenario you hadn’t considered too much before. Maybe this was just about Ryan? Ryan was the one who killed of all Boss’s men when he saved you. He was the one who offered for you to turn on him. Maybe Briggs did hold him responsible. “Is this about Ryan?” you ask. “Are you trying to use me to get to him? Did you hurt him? I swear to god Briggs if you hurt my husband, I will--”

“Don’t worry,” Briggs cuts you off this time. “Your precious _husband_ is fine. He’s a hard man to kill it would seem.”

“Damn right he is! And he’s going to come for me,” you say. “You have to know that.”

“Oh I do,” Briggs says. “And I already have arrangements set for when he does. It’s really all a matter of how long it will take him. In the mean time, my men will lead you back to your friends and then to your new accommodations.”

“That’s it?” you ask. “What was the point of this fucking meeting? You just wanted our demands? To gloat that you have us trapped here and there’s nothing we can do about it? You brought us out to the coast because you know it’s as far away as you could while still being in the city. When we manage to escape, and mark my words we fucking will, we’re not that far from the city. We can get there on foot if we need to. Why bring us here then? _What is the fucking point of all of this?!_ ”

“I thought you liked the ocean.”

His words are casual but they cause the blood in your veins to freeze. “How do you know that?”

“I know a lot more about you than you think,” he says, putting his tablet back down. He pushes himself up to stand and moves around his desk towards you. This time, your body is too paralyzed with fear to move as he draws closer. “To answer your question, I didn’t bring you here for revenge on Boss. He was an idiot. He deserved what happened to him.”

“Then if it wasn’t for vengeance, I demand to know why you brought me here,” you say. You try to keep your voice strong, but it waivers.

He is silent as he studies you. You see a myriad of emotions pass across his face, but you can’t really read any of them. Except for anger. There is so much anger in his eyes that it shakes you to your very core. You keep eye contact however, staring him down, mentally trying to force him to answer you. Because you don’t care if you’re scared of him, he will not beat you. He will not win this standoff. Your will to help the Joneses and your will to see Ryan again are stronger than his will. You’re sure of it.

“Wow, you really don’t remember,” he says.

This confuses you. “You worked for the Boss--”

“Not that,” Briggs snaps, the anger suddenly coming from him like a whip. “Not about the fucking Boss! You don’t remember before that! You don’t remember what we were to each other!”

Your mouth falls open in surprise. “What the hell are you talking about?” you ask. “Before Boss I had never seen you before in my life!”

He turns away from you and with a vicious yell everything on his desk goes flying to the floor with a sweep of his hand. He kicks the chair so hard it goes flying across the room and into the wall. The door immediately opens and his guards come rushing in to see what the commotion is. They seize you, even though it’s clear you haven’t done anything.

Briggs whirls around to face you. “We started in the old crew at the same time! You, me and Hound were the newbies together…” he says earnestly, moving towards you again. His hands are clenched into fists and you’re afraid he’s going to hit you. You want to back up, but the guards hold you firmly in place. “We did jobs together! You have to remember!”

But you don’t.

You have no idea what he’s talking about.

You and Hound did start off in the crew around the same time. And there were other recruits who also started with you. But you barely spoke to anyone but Hound. You can’t picture him. You can’t picture any of them however. It has been years and you locked those memories away a long, long time ago.

You don’t answer him.

His chest is heaving and he shuts his eyes and forces himself to take several deep breaths. You see him unclench his hands and he straightens himself once more, adjusting his suit jacket and clearing his throat. “Please take her to her friends and then lead them all to the room number I texted to you. Make sure they are comfortable. And if I hear you fucking punched Jones again, _I will fucking LOSE IT, ARE WE CLEAR?!_ ”

The guards flinch as you do and hurriedly nod with understanding. Briggs bends down to pick up the blindfold you had dropped some time ago and he hands it back to one of the guards so they can put it over you.

Before they do however, his eyes meet yours and he reaches out to try to stroke your cheek. “You’re just as beautiful as when we met.”

Your knee comes up instantly and catches him in the stomach. The guards tighten their hold on you and yank you roughly away from him.

Briggs recovers instantly, sending a sharp slap across the cheek he had tried to touch just moments before. “Don’t ever try something like that again!” he says, nearly jabbing his finger in your face as he points angrily.

You turn to glare at him, your view slightly obstructed by your hair. You know you must look crazed and livid. You see Briggs shrink slightly. “I never got to make the Boss pay enough for what he did to me,” you say in a low dangerous voice. “But mark my words, Briggs. That is the last time you will touch me. The next time your guards aren’t around, I will fucking rip you to shreds!”

You barely get to see the look of fear on his face as the blindfold is tugged over your eyes again and you’re dragged from his office.


	15. Chapter 15

**Trigger Warning:** _[SPOILER] unhealthy obsession/stalking. Information comes up after they get to Briggs’s apartment if you would like to stop reading before you get to that point_

_\--_

Jack is just hanging up the phone when Ryan and Hound catch up to him. “Geoff, Ray and Gavin are going to meet us at Eclipse Towers,” he announces, moving around the car to the driver’s side.

“Were they able to find anything?” Ryan asks. He and Hound climb into the backseat again.

Jack shakes his head. “They tossed his office and didn’t find anything,” he says. “They questioned pretty much everyone and they all had the same story. He was nice, he was quiet, he never mentioned Fox or Boss and just went about his work. Nobody really thought he was unusual or anything.” He starts the car and puts it in drive.

“Those are the ones you have to look out for,” Hound says, buckling her seatbelt. “We need to think of a back up, if this lead doesn’t pan out.” Jack pulls out of his parking space and drives in the direction of Fox’s old apartment.

“Do you have a calendar?” Ryan asks with a sudden thought. “I mean, one you and Briggs shared? He was your assistant. You must have had his schedule.”

Hound’s eyes light up and she draws her phone out of her pocket. “I do!” she says excitedly. “Smart move, Haywood.”

“I try.”

She unlocks the screen and moves through the menus quickly. “What are we looking for?” she asks. She brings up the shared calendar on her phone and Ryan leans over to look at the screen with her.

“I just want to see his appointments,” he says. “If we can at least trace his steps in the past few days, it might help. Maybe we’ll get an idea of where he was. This took a lot of planning. He didn’t just wake up and decide to kidnap Fox.”

“Okay, just a second.” Hound maneuvers through calendar for a moment before she’s able to bring up just Briggs’s appointments. “How far back should I go?”

“Look at a week from today,” Ryan says. Even though he can see the calendar now, nothing really makes sense to him. Almost every day of the week has an appointment, but the names don’t make any sense to him. At least he has Hound to decipher. She knows exactly what appointments are work related and which ones aren’t.

“Alright, here we go,” she says, finding the right date. She falls silent as she scrolls through the appointments. “Everything looks pretty standard. I remember pretty much all of them.”

Ryan frowns with disappointment. “Really?” he asks. “Are you sure? Are there any you don’t remember having?”

Hound sadly shakes her head. “No dude, sorry. I remember all of these. Mainly because I was so busy I barely had time to take my smoke breaks. I actually got mad at Briggs for scheduling so many in one week. I hate talking to people.”

“Looking at just a week may not give us much,” Jack speaks up as the brings the car to a stop at a red light. “If he’s been planning this for as long as we think he has, you won’t be able to notice a pattern in such a short time. Try going back further.”

“How much further?” Hound asks.

“A month,” Ryan answers. “Jack’s right. A month should give us enough days in between now and then.”

Hound nods and finds the right date. She grows quiet again as she studies the appointments, her eyebrows drawn together in deep thought. He can see her muttering to herself, but her face doesn’t suggest she’s seeing anything suspicious. He’s not sure however. He finds it hard to read Hound, and he doesn’t like it.

“See anything weird?” Ryan asks after a few minutes of silence.  

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for!” Hound practically explodes, and he realizes she’s frustrated. “You have to be more specific. Weird doesn’t really help me narrow it down.”

“What about time off?” Jack suggests. “He probably wouldn’t have time to do much during work hours. Plus, he wouldn’t have wanted to risk getting caught. He probably only made the phone call because he knew he was going to run after. Did he take vacation days? What about weekends? Did you make him work weekends?”

“No on the weekends,” Hound says. “If I’m not fucking coming in on Saturdays and Sundays, neither are my employees. So, probably a dead end there.” She frowns. “But he did take a few vacation days here and there last month. Not more than two in a row, but some.”

“Did he say he was going anywhere?” Ryan asks.

Hound shrugs. “I never asked. I mean, I kept some people on him, you know. Just in case? But he stayed in the city.”

“Where they all on the same days or was it sporadic?” Jack asks as Ryan pounders the situation.

Hound looks back at the calendar to check. “Damn, sporadic,” she says. “Fuck, I know what all of these appointments are. I remember all of them. I guess it was wishful thinking that he would be stupid enough to add his illicit activities to his work calendar.”

A thought occurred to Ryan and he turned to Hound excitedly. “Wait!” he exclaims. “You have his number right? We can track it!”

“He’s not going to have it on,” Hound says. “If he’s planned all this without us knowing, there is no way he’ll let it fall apart all because he kept his phone on him. He has no reason to keep it.”

“Even if he doesn’t have it on him now, we can probably track where it’s been the past few days,” Ryan tells her.

“YES! Damn, why didn’t I think of that before?” Hound asks, more to herself. She presses a few buttons before holding the phone to her ear. When the person picks up, she doesn’t even let them finish their greeting. “Dooley! It’s me. I need you to track Briggs’s phone right now. I don’t care what you’re doing. You and Bragg need to be on this until I say so. Top priority! Do you understand?”

Ryan sits back in his seat and shuts his eyes. His body is screaming with exhaustion and he is starting to get the shakes. _I probably need to eat something. And drink something,_ he realizes. He is in desperate need of sleep as well. But he isn’t going to sleep.  Even if he wanted to, he knows it would be pointless to try. Not until Fox is safe in his arms again. He opens his eyes in time to see Jack watching him from the mirror.

“How are you doing back there?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” Ryan says gruffly, rubbing his tired eyes. Hound is still giving orders to the man on the phone. He only half-listens because she is using terms he has never heard of and he assumes she’s telling them how to track Briggs’s phone.

“Ryan, I know the clock is ticking,” Jack says. “But I’m going to pull over and grab you and Hound something to eat.”

“Jack, don’t,” Ryan orders. “We need to get to--”

Jack ignores him and pulls over to park by the curb. “I wasn’t asking for your permission. I was telling you. You won’t do Fox any good if you two pass out.”

Ryan glances over at Hound. She looks just as bad as he feels and he remembers that they are still recovering from knockout gas. Suddenly the smell of a nearby food cart makes Ryan’s stomach growl loudly and he gives Jack a nod.

The bearded man turns off the car and gets out, pointedly taking the keys and shoving them in his pocket. He slams the door behind him and heads over to the food cart. Ryan slumps against the car door, resting his temple against the window.

“Honestly,” Hound says as she hangs up the phone and watches Jack walk away. “It’s like he doesn’t trust us or something.”

Ryan chuckles. “He’s right not to,” he says. “I would have climbed into the front seat and driven off.”

“Good, we’re on the same page there,” Hound says. She shoves her phone back into her pocket and stifles a huge yawn. “I heard something about food.” She cranes her neck around to try and keep her eyes on Jack.

“Yeah, he’s getting us something to eat,” Ryan says. He stares out the window, getting lost in his own thoughts. Last week his biggest problem was passing the time in his cell until Fox broke him out. Now he’s sitting in a car in Los Santos, wondering about the soon-to-be dead man who kidnapped his wife.

His wife. She wants to settle down. She wants a family. Ryan has wanted a family with her for years, ever since they first got married. They had talked about it so many times, talked about waiting and while he had agreed with her on the subject, secretly it was the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world. But she had been having so much fun just the two of them, he didn’t want to force her into something she wasn’t ready for. Even though he had been ready for years.

The other night, when she had told him she didn’t want to wait anymore, his mind had gone blank and he thought he was hearing things. But he hadn’t misheard. Part of him wonders if it was the heat of the moment, and when they are finally reunited he’s sure they will talk about it. But until then, he holds on to the idea that once everything is said and done, him and Fox will fly back to their island and finally start on the next chapter of their lives together.

“Please, stop looking like a kicked puppy,” Hound pleads as she also rests back in her seat. “It’s making me feel worse than I already do. I might even give you a hug.”

“Please don’t. And I do not look like a kicked puppy.”

“Dude, you totally do,” Hound tells him. “It makes me want to promise you everything will be alright and I definitely won’t do that. I don’t do promises anymore.” Ryan gives her a sidelong glance and she raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ryan says.

“Yeah, I don’t believe you.”

Ryan turns to stare at her. “Fox used to say she didn’t believe in promises,” he says.

Hound winces. “Yeah, that’s my fault,” she says. “I made some promises I clearly didn’t keep.”

“What did you promise her?”

“None of your business.”

The driver side opens again and Jack climbs in, balancing a cardboard tray of food. The smell alone is enough to make Ryan’s mouth water and he leans forward to take the box from him graciously.

“Burgers, fries, two waters each,” Jack says as Ryan puts the box between him and Hound. “You both better eat and drink everything.”

“Yes, dad,” Hound tells him as he starts the car once more.

“Look, if you don't and you two pass out on me I’m leaving your asses,” Jack says. “You both need to be on point.” He looks both ways before pulling into traffic.

Ryan and Hound don’t argue. The rest of the drive is silent as the two eat as much as they possibly can. After, Ryan feels much better and shoots Jack an appreciative smile. His friend nods back understandingly. When they pull up outside of Fox’s old place, Geoff and the others are no where to be seen.

Jack parks the car and the three of them get out. “Should we go in through the front?” he asks.

Ryan shakes his head. “No, go through the back entrance,” he tells them. “Most of the tenants use that one. Hound, you know what car he drives, right?”

“Yeah,” she says, looking around as they follow the driveway from the guest parking to the resident parking. “But I don’t see it.”

The back door is open and they quickly slip in. Ryan leads the group upstairs, having a strange feeling of deja vu. The smell instantly triggers memories of five years ago: sneaking up to her place after a meeting with the crew and finding her half-naked waiting for him, or passed out at her desk, or heating up something for dinner, or sprawled out on her couch in her underwear as she lazily flipped through channels on the TV...They come to him wave after wave and it’s almost overwhelming. When he gets to her door, he almost knocks out of instinct. But he catches himself. Instead he pulls his pistol out and Jack follows his lead.

“The guys aren’t here yet,” Jack says in a soft voice. “We should wait to go in until they get here.”

“No, we’ve delayed long enough,” Ryan tells him. He draws the key out of his pocket with his free hand and passes it to Hound. “Open the door and then I want you to step back.”

She nods with understanding and takes the key from him. “Hold on,” she leans against the door, pressing her ear to the wood.

“What are you doing?” Jack asks.

“Listening, what does it look like?” she says.

“I thought you said you didn’t see Briggs’s car in the parking lot?” Ryan asks.

“I didn’t, and I’m not listening for people so shut the fuck up and let me do my thing,” Hound snaps. She carefully puts the key into the lock, but doesn’t turn it right away. Instead she waits a few seconds, before turning it as slowly as she possibly can. Ryan hears the click as the lock opens and makes to reach for the door knob. Hound smacks his hand away. “Wait!”

Jack and Ryan share a confused look before each giving Hound a questioning raise of their eyebrows.

“Okay, doesn’t sound like the lock was rigged,” Hound says.

Understanding passes over Ryan’s face. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Why didn’t you do that at Briggs’s other place?” he asks.

“I didn’t think about it until it was too late,” she says. “And by then you were already trying to be all macho-man by kicking the door in. We didn’t blow up anyways so we’re good.”

Ryan shoots her a glare before grabbing the door knob and turning it. He pushes the door open and cautiously steps into the apartment.

At first it’s disorienting. He thought the hallway was bad, this is much worse. It’s not just about being back in Fox’s old office apartment, or the fact that it was five years later and he’s there with Jack and Hound. It was because it looks _exactly_ the way it had when she had lived there. Everything was the same. The walls were painted the same, the carpet was the same, which he expected in that type of place.

But what he did not expect was the fucking _furniture_ to be the same. Everything. All of it. He could almost picture her on the couch, or them going at it on the desk.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asks, noting the look on Ryan’s face.

But Ryan can’t answer him. He steps all the way into the apartment, completely forgetting to raise his pistol as he moves towards Fox’s--no, Briggs’s desk. The wall where she had her corkboard is covered with photos and printed articles, just like they had been when she had lived there.

Except, the photos are all of Fox.

“Whaaaat the fuck is this?” Hound asks in a low voice. She comes to a halt right next to him.

Ryan still doesn’t answer, he’s too busy staring at the wall. He doesn’t recognize some of the headlines, but he notices they all had to do with thefts. Almost all of them mention “mysterious woman” and then what was stolen. And the photos. _The fucking photos._ They are all of her. Every single one. Not just her when she was in Los Santos five years ago, but even current photos of her in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles and...

“Our island,” Ryan whispers.

“Ryan, what--?” Jack begins.

“He has pictures of her on our fucking island!” Ryan explodes. “He has photos of her _in our home!_ ” He vision tints red and he shakes violently with rage. He’s shaking and before he can stop himself, he runs to the wall and starts tearing the stuff down.

“Ryan! RYAN, STOP!” Jack exclaims as he moves to hold the man back. “Ryan, we need that stuff! It could help! It’s evidence!”

“OUR HOME, JACK!” Ryan bellows. “He has photos of her in our fucking home! HOW?!” He rounds on Hound, who is too frozen in shock and disgust to speak. “YOU!”

She jumps at his voice. “What?! What did I do?!”

He breaks free of Jack’s grasp and charges at her. She’s too surprised and confused to move and his hands close around her throat as he pushes her against the back of an armchair.

_“RYAN!”_

“He found her because of you!” Ryan screams as Jack desperately tries to pull him away. Hound’s hands close around his wrists as she tries to struggle free. Her mouth is hanging open as she gasps for breath and she tries to pry his hands away. But he’s much bigger than she is.

“Ryan, let her go!”

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” Ryan grinds out. He’s too strong and there is no way she can break free from him. “DO YOU EVEN FUCKING THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR ACTIONS DO TO PEOPLE?! HE FOUND MY WIFE BECAUSE OF YOU!”

Jack is still tugging on Ryan as hard as he can. Ryan drops one hand from Hound’s neck to shove Jack away. He’s distracted long enough to barely see the knife until it’s swinging at him. His manages to let Hound go at the last second. The tip of the knife grazes his cheek, but the pain barely registers.

Jack’s arms come around him tightly and the large man practically throws Ryan to the ground as Hound stumbles away, coughing and clutching her throat.

“H-How is this m-my fault?!” she grinds out between coughs. “I-I didn’t f-fucking do ANYTHING, YOU PSYCHO!”

Just then, Geoff, Gavin and Ray burst through the door, guns at the ready. They freeze as soon as they see Hound doubled over in pain and Jack with his knee in Ryan’s back as he pins him to the ground.

Geoff looks bewildered. “Ummm, what did we miss?”


	16. Chapter 16

The room they bring you, Michael, and Lindsay to is a decent size for one person, but small for three. Two bare, queen-sized beds sit on opposite ends of the room with a nightstand between them. There’s also a chest of drawers in the corner by the door and a circular rug in the middle of the room. Two large windows allow you a nice view of the ocean. They are open, but when you rush to them, you see that you are way too high up to use them to escape. Just looking at the sharp rocks below is enough to make your stomach churn.

There’s a door to the right that looks to lead to a bathroom.

“What the fuck is this?” Michael asks as soon as the guard leaves, slamming the door shut.

“This is what I was able to negotiate,” you tell him, moving to collapse onto one of the beds. Lindsay gratefully stretches out on the other one. “Well, not really negotiate. Demand. I also asked for proper food and water for Lindsay.”

None was in sight, but you had a feeling it was coming. Briggs seemed somewhat willing to cooperate with you, though you’re hesitant as to why.

“Fox, what happened?” Lindsay asks. Michael sits on the end of their bed, looking at you expectedly.

You take a deep breath and recount your meeting with Briggs. You leave nothing out. If you three are going to get through this together, they need to be on the same page as you. You also explain who Hound is and what her connection is to you and Briggs. They listen intently, not interrupting or asking questions until the very end.

“Good job kneeing him in the dick,” Michael says approvingly.

“The slap was worth it,” you say

“But, you still don’t know why we’re here?” Lindsay asks.

You give her an apologetic wince and shake your head. You had your suspicions, but the idea was so ridiculous that you don’t think you can even put it into words. You catch Michael’s eye and you can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he mulls over the situation.

“It sounds to me,” he begins. You can tell he’s being cautious about what he’s saying. “like Briggs might have a thing for you.”

You wrinkle your nose in disgust. “I wouldn’t call it a thing,” you say. “I think it’s much more than that. The way he spoke to me, the things he said. It’s almost like he knows things about me. Things only Ryan or Hound would know. He says I know him. He says me, him, and Hound were in the crew together. But I honestly don’t remember his face at all.”

“Could he be lying?” Lindsay asks, propping herself up against the headboard.

You shake your head. “I don’t think so,” you say. “He knew I love the ocean. That’s way too specific for him to have just made a wild guess. I’m really worried though. He doesn’t seem stable. We have to be careful with his temper. He lost it a few times when we were talking and it wasn’t pretty.”

“If he’s not stable, he very well could have known you back then and just never forgot about you,” Michael suggests.

“What do you mean?” you ask.

“Fox, maybe he had a thing for you, but just never got over it,” Lindsay clarifies. “If he’s not all there, it could have turned into something much worse.”

“You mean he’s obsessed with me?” Now that it was out there, you realize that it’s a terrifying possibility. It’s hard for you to wrap your head around the idea however. You hadn’t been close to anyone besides Hound and Ryan in the past few years, and even before then you tended to avoid people as much as possible. But it would explain some of what’s going on. “Do you think this whole thing is because of me?”

“Think about it,” Michael says. “He worked for Boss, you did too. But, for some reason he doesn’t want revenge for you killing him. Then, he made Lindsay call you back. Not Ryan. If this was about Boss, he would have gone for Ryan because he was tied to us. Boss’s beef was with us and Geoff. Not to mention Lindsay was closer to Ryan than she was to you. But Briggs didn’t have her reach out to Ryan. He went for you.”

“And didn’t you say he said, ‘what we were to each other’?” Lindsay points out.

You nod to show that you follow their reasoning. “And he only took me from Hound’s office,” you add. Everything had happened so fast, it was clear Briggs’ goal was to get you out of there as quickly as possible. “Wait? What does that mean then? Do you think he kidnapped me to keep me here?”

Lindsay and Michael share a look and it makes your stomach drop.

“Well,” Lindsay says softly. “If he is obsessed with you, he’s not going to let you go willingly.”

“Which begs the question, why bring her here?” Michael asks. “And what’s going to happen with us?”

You sit in silence for a few moments. Crossing your arms across your chest, you rest your back against the wall your bed is shoved along. As difficult as it is to imagine, the facts of the situation are making too much sense for you to ignore their theory. You can feel your anxiety starting to rise. If he’s delusional enough to believe he had some kind of relationship with you, that makes him dangerous.

And if Ryan somehow finds out where you are…

You remember the look on Briggs’ face when you mentioned your husband and how he had practically spat the word. There would be no real reason for him to be so angry at Ryan in this context. Especially if he didn’t care about Boss at all. He said he had a plan if Ryan showed up. You don’t even want to know what he means by that.

“We need to get out of here,” you say. “If Ryan comes to get me, there’s no telling what Briggs is going to do to him. He says he already has a plan in case that happens and I don’t want to see what that entails.”

“Him seeing Ryan would be dangerous,” Lindsay says, her eyebrows knitted together with worry.

“He seemed to be set off when I didn’t remember him, and when he heard his staff had been hitting you,” you say to Michael. “I’m assuming neither of those things were part of his ‘plan’.”

“That’s good to know,” Lindsay says. “We don’t want to do anything to make him go off. If we can avoid it that is.”

“So we need to pretend like we’re going along with his plan?” Michael asks. “Act how he thinks we’re going to act?”

“Exactly,” Lindsay agrees. “Especially until we can figure out what our next move should be.”

“What if he wants to talk to me again?” you ask. “This is out of my area of expertise. I’m used to knowing my target before I speak with them. Also, you know, I threatened him.”

“Something tells me he’ll forgive you,” Michael says. He lounges back on his elbows. “But you can’t go in there unprepared again. Are you sure you don’t remember him at all?”

You wrack your brain trying to bring up the details from when you and Hound first joined the old crew way back when. It had been so long however; you can’t think of anyone’s faces. You do remember that there were other recruits with the both of you. The newbies had been forced to run a few heists together as part of the initiation. But that’s all you can recall.

“Maybe he looks different,” Lindsay suggests when she notices your doubtful expression.

You shake your head. “I don’t think so,” you say. “It was clear that he thought I should remember his face. Not just from Boss, but from before. If he looked different he probably would have said something. I just can’t remember him. Nothing. I barely spoke to any of the other recruits unless I had to. Hound and I only started talking because things went sideways on a job and we ended up coming up with a plan to save some crew members.”

“Wait, ‘crew members’?” Michael asks, sitting up straight. “You saved some people?”

“Yeah, kind of,” you say with a nod. “We were breaking into a small bank but someone didn’t take out all the security guards. By the time we realized it, we had already snuck in and couldn’t just give up because we were all spread out. Hound and I found each other and worked to get the others out. She distracted the guard while I went around and found each person. Most of them were just scared and in way over their heads. We were practically kids for fucks sake. I was barely nineteen.”

“Do you think Briggs was one of them?” Lindsay asks.

You uncross your arms and shove your hands into the pockets of your coat. “Yeah, it’s possible. I mean, that’s the only instance I can think of that makes the most sense. Out of that heist, only me, Hound and two other recruits became full members,” you say. You feel a thin piece of plastic material in your pocket and withdraw a bundled up wad of cloth.

“Maybe that’s when you guys met,” Michael says. “If he’s not stable, he could be reading into the meeting way more than most people would. That could have been when he got attached to you.”

But you’re not listening, because you’re too busy smiling down at Ryan’s mask. You remembered him putting it over your face when the room filled with gas and you must have somehow managed to pocket it when Briggs took you away. It’s not Ryan. But having that mask in your hands suddenly makes you feel like he’s right there in the room with you.

“Okay, well at least we have the connection now,” Lindsay says. “But if we really are going to try to find a way out of here, we need to come up with a solid plan. I’ve been wracking my brain but I’m not as sharp as I used to be.” At your questioningly look, she adds. “Pregnancy brain. Half the time I can’t remember...umm…”

She trails off and Michael gives her an affectionate eyeroll. “‘Words’, Lindsay. ‘Words’ is what she was going to say,” he says. “She does this all the fucking time. She’ll just stop mid sentence and forget she was talking or what she was going to say.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Lindsay says, putting her hands on her baby bump. “Blame your kid.”

Michael smiles at her and reaches over to give her stomach a gentle rub.

You look away, trying desperately to push away the feeling of longing at the sight. You need to get them out of there. Even if it means you stay behind, Michael and Lindsay need to get out. You and Ryan may have only talked about having children. They’re actually having a baby.

You’re not dumb. You know Ryan has wanted kids for awhile, but you weren’t ready and he loved you enough to respect that. If by some miracle you do make it out, the first thing you’re going to do when you and Ryan are alone is jump him. Even though you told him you didn’t want to wait anymore, he probably thinks you’ll change your mind once everything is all said and done.

Seeing Michael and Lindsay together only fuels your desire to expand your family.

“Okay, I tried to memorize the direction of Briggs’ office from the basement where he kept us,” you tell them, shoving Ryan’s mask back into your pocket. “When they led us up here, I did it again. He’s on the other side of the building, or house, or whatever the fuck this is.”

“I’ve been thinking about that and my thought is that this building used to be apartments,” Lindsay says. “My elbow bumped a door when they were leading us this way. I think we passed through what used to be the living room. I know a few of the apartments on the coast were abandoned when Boss drove the rent up too high.”

“That’s right!” Michael exclaims. “And we found out some of them were being used in his fucking human trafficking ring. I’m guessing the basement was built that way when Boss was still in business.”

“Briggs has probably been using Boss’s resources ever since he died,” Lindsay says. “He probably used Hound to get control of this property.”

“That’s also how he found me,” you say. “It’s the only explanation. Hound has the technology to track me down and I’m guessing he used it to his advantage. Okay, so apartment building. That’s easier to break out of. I’m assuming there are guards outside our room. Or at least close by. Downstairs was much more secure and there’s no way he would move us without upping security.”

The three of you fall into silence as you think about what to do next. Of course if you do manage to get out of the building, you’ll need a vehicle. The distance between the coast and the rest of Los Santos is too far for you to walk and they would be on you in an instant.

“I asked for better food, which means he is going to have to feed us regularly,” you tell them after a few minutes. “That means at the most, three meals a day. Three times we know for sure they are going to come.”

“Better than we had before,” Michael says. He looks around. “There really doesn’t look like there’s much in here we can use.”

You reach over to open the drawer on the nightstand, but there’s nothing inside. Michael gets up to check the dresser in the corner. It’s empty too. You imagine the furniture was just left when the previous tenants were evicted.

“Wait, the wood!” Lindsay says excitedly, pointing to the nightstand. “The bottom of the drawer is easy to break. We can at least break off large chunks and use them as shivs.”

“Oh good call, Linds,” Michael says, closing the drawer he was peering in. “But some pieces of wood aren’t going to get us very far.”

“No, but we might be able to take out enough of them to get their guns,” you tell him. “Check the bathroom, anything in there?”

Michael crosses over and pokes his head into the small room. “Just some towels,” he says. “They’re long enough that we can probably use them to cover the guards’ mouths.”

“Wetting them first will make them panic,” you say.

Michael gives you a look. “You have been hanging out with Ryan too long,” he says with a shake of his head. “But yeah it would.”

You smile to yourself and reach into your pocket again to close your hand around the mask.

“If we do manage to take them out without alerting anyone, then we need to be stealthy about leaving,” Lindsay says.

“Of course,” you say. “This plan will only work if we’re careful and quiet.”

“What do you plan on doing if Briggs wants to talk to you again?” Michael asks. “Because he’s definitely going to. He may not be alone with you after your threat, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to pass up the opportunity. First things first, we need to figure out how you’re going to play him.”

“I don’t want to lead him on,” you say immediately. “It’ll do more harm than good. He’s not all there and if he thinks I led him on in anyway, it’ll make him more dangerous.”

“Maybe try to get him talking about the past,” Lindsay says, moving to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. “If you hear it from his perspective, it could help.”

“He’s had years to plan this,” you say. “I don’t really think anything I can say can convince him to deviate from his plan. But I think you have a point. It would at least help me figure out how to approach him. I’m used to being able to read people. I’m pretty blind here and I don’t like it.”

The three of you hear footsteps outside of the room and immediately stop talking. The door opens and a guard pushes in a metal cart piled with food and several water bottles. None of you move and the guard is gone too quick for you to try anything.

“Last meal of the day probably,” Michael says as soon as the door is locked. You look out the window and realize the sun is going down. “Wonder why he left the cart.”

You put your finger to your lips and get up. You toe out of your shoes and, barefoot, you tiptoe across the room to the meal cart. Carefully you crouch down and start to feel around underneath the tray area. Your fingers brush across something small and round and you manage to pull it off the cart with a quick tug. You hold up the listening device.

Understanding passes across your friend’s faces as they watch you feel around for more devices. But it looks like the one you have is all that was put on the cart.

Michael holds his hand out for it and you walk across the room to give it to him. Wordlessly, he goes to the window and forces the screen open just enough to drop the device onto the wet rocks below. “And just like that, thousands of dollars lost to the ocean,” he says with a grin.

“He’s going to catch on each time the cart comes back without a device,” Lindsay says. She gets up from the bed and moves over to inspect the food. It’s not much, just a few sandwiches and some bagged chips but she grabs some none the less. You feel better seeing her take a bite. Your own stomach grumbles, but you don’t know if it’s from nerves or hunger and you feel like if you eat, you’re more likely to throw it up.  

“Or he’s going to think his men are incompetent and blame them,” you say as Lindsay walks back to the bed with her food. “In which case he may keep sending new men. Which will give us an edge. If the same guard keeps coming to deliver us stuff, there’s more of a chance he’s going to overhear something. We can use this to our advantage.”

Lindsay chews thoughtfully on her sandwich as Michael takes some of her chips. Eventually the sight is too much for you and you help yourself as well. After the three of you have eaten, you see Lindsay fight back a yawn and Michael’s eyes are looking a little dazed.

“Look, it’s getting dark, there’s no light in here,” you say, motioning to the room. “Why don’t you guys get some kind of rest? I’ll stay up and keep watch.”

“Are you sure?” Lindsay asks. “After everything you went through today, I don’t know how you can stand to be awake.”

“Trust me,” you say. “I’m not going to get any sleep until I’m out of here. I have food to keep me company.”

Lindsay moves to lay on the bed and Michael follows her lead. You weren’t given any blankets so they curl together for warmth and you try hard not to watch them. You’re envious. They have each other in this situation. Once again your heart aches for your husband and you try to push away the tears.

You move to rest your back against the wall once more, giving yourself a full view of the door and out the window. Despite where you are, the sound of the ocean does have a calming effect and you force yourself to breathe along with the waves. It wouldn’t do good to have an anxiety attack now. Especially when Ryan isn’t there to help calm you.

Instead you pull his mask out of your pocket and run your fingers along the seams, smiling down at the skeletal face as you remember him wearing it. He always seemed to change into a different person when he slipped it on. You wonder if the mask gave him the confidence to do some of the things he had done. It makes it mean even more to you that he left it on the bar all those years ago.

Funny that it’s in your possession now.

Your smile fades when you think back again to Briggs’s response when you spoke of Ryan. In the past you always knew Ryan was going to be there for you. That he was going to save your ass when you needed him the most. This is first time you _don’t_ want him to. Because you have a terrible feeling Briggs will do something horrible if he does. If you could get yourself, Michael and Lindsay out and get word to Ryan before he gets close, it’ll be the best case scenario.

The worst is that Michael and Lindsay tell him.

 _Babe, I hope you’re okay,_ you think. You know it’s foolish to wish he could hear you, but pretending like he can helps the aching in your chest. _Please, for once don’t come for me. For once stay away. I’ll try to find my way back to you. I promise._

You hear Michael and Lindsay’s breathing slowing down as they fall asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around her. You rest your head against the wall, staring out the window at the darkening sky, planning your escape.


	17. Chapter 17

Ryan sat on the couch, staring at the floor.

It had taken both Jack and Geoff to get him to calm down. He had managed to get out from Jack’s grasp and to his feet, but both of them had held onto his arms to keep him from charging at Hound again. When they were finally able to get through to him, it took them even longer to make him sit.

He takes several deep breaths, his jaw and fists clenched shut.

Hound sits at the kitchen table, a bag of ice to her neck. He can feel her glaring daggers at him, but he purposely keeps his eyes trained on the carpet. Instead of looking at her, he unclenches his hands so he can play with his wedding band as he keeps trying to focus on his breathing.

The guys are busy going through Briggs’s stuff. Ray had seized Briggs’s abandoned laptop and was busy trying to figure out the password, while Jack and Gavin search the bedroom and Geoff studies the wall.

Ryan is still trembling with rage. It had been so long since he had lost control and he doesn’t remember it ever being that bad. His stomach feels sick and he has to purse his lips to keep himself from vomiting on the floor. His head throbs unpleasantly and he can feel a migraine coming on. He shuts his eyes and buries his face in his hands, trying to will the pain away.

He had attacked Hound. It was stupid and careless and he could have killed her. Thankfully Jack had been there to stop him.

“You going to apologize anytime soon?” Hound says. Her voice is hoarse.  

Ryan still doesn’t look at her. Despite his regret at attacking her, he’s still furious with the woman. He removes one of his hands from his face and holds it out towards her, flipping her off.

“Rude.”

She sounds just like Fox when she says that and it’s enough for him to finally glance her way. Bruises are already forming where he had seized her. She raises her eyebrow at him, but he still doesn’t say anything. The guys are ignoring the exchange, too focused on going through Briggs’s stuff. Geoff does shoot a few looks Ryan’s way to make sure he’s still sitting on the couch.

“Look,” Hound says, the ice cubes rattling as she moves the bag around to the other side of her neck. She coughs before she can continue speaking. “I swear to you that I had nothing to do with this. I would never jeopardize Fox’s life over some petty shit that happened years ago.”

At this Ryan scoffs. “You stabbed her!” he snaps. “How was that not jeopardizing her life?”

“I meant after that whole mess,” Hound says with a wave of her hand. “And I already explained my reasoning behind it. I did it to drive her away. To protect her from me. Regardless, I’m telling the truth. I had no part in any of this fucking craziness!”

“Do you not get it?” Ryan asks, running his hands angrily through his hair. “You’re the reason he was able to find her. You may not have known about it, but you were still partially responsible. Your goal to be ‘the’ information broker was how he found her. You have all the best tech and you boast that no one does anything without you noticing. Well, congratu-fucking-lations, mission accomplished. Fox didn’t do anything without _him_ noticing.”

“I’m not an idiot, Haywood!” Hound snaps back. “You don’t think I’m fucking hating myself right now? You don’t think I know I’m the reason he was able to fucking stalk her even after she left? I get it! I see it! I am under no illusions that part of this is my fault. You keep making the mistake of thinking you’re the only one who loves her. It’s about time you stopped because you’re going to get us _both_ killed and I’m not looking to die any time soon.”

“Maybe you should just stop talking,” Ryan mutters darkly as he turns away to watch Geoff and Ray over by Briggs’s desk.

“Yeah, I think you know me well enough by now to know that’s not going to happen,” Hound says. “Just because you don’t want to hear what I have to say doesn’t mean I’m not going to fucking say it.” He hears the ice rattle again as she adjusts the bag once more. “You may not like me, but I honestly think you’re pretty okay. Fox could have done a hell of a lot worse. If I wanted to, I could have stabbed you in the fucking neck when you attacked me, but I didn’t. Because I don’t want to see you dead because it will kill Fox. So get your fucking shit together and focus on the real threat. Briggs. Not me.”

Ryan absentmindedly touches the scratch on his face from her knife. It runs diagonally from under his right eyebrow to just under the left corner of his bottom lip. Right across his face. She only used the tip of the blade. Enough to stun him and take him by surprise, but not enough to do any real damage or scar him. It had barely bled and he could already feel it starting to scab over.

He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands once more, blocking out the room for a few moments as he tried to rein in his anger. He had to push past it. He had to hold it in until he could channel it at the person who was really responsible. Briggs was the one who stalked Fox. He was the one who had taken her. Ryan needed to find where he was so he could get his wife back and make the man pay.

Because rest assured, Briggs was going to pay.

Jack and Gavin come into the living room and Ryan looks up at them. They shake their heads sadly.

“Nothing in there,” Gavin says, moving to stand by Geoff. Jack comes over to the couch to sit next to Ryan.

“There are some notes here,” Geoff says, pointing to the left side of the wall of papers and photos. “Looks like dates. They correspond with the days Lindsay and Michael were taken and when she called you guys, Ryan.”

“If I can get into his computer I can get more information,” Ray says, hitting a few keys. “Been trying to figure out his password.”

“Did you try her name?” Ryan asks.

“Yeah, but ‘Fox’ didn’t work,” Ray says.

“Not ‘Fox’,” Hound says. “Her real name.”

“I don’t know her real name,” Ray reminds them.

Hound and Ryan have a moment of realization. That’s right. They only ever knew her by Fox. Ryan had never given them her real name and they had just went with it. Ryan tells Ray Fox’s first and last name and after typing it in, he gives a small cheer. “Awesome! Got it!”

“That was a weak password,” Jack says.

“Yeah well, he’s obsessed,” Hound says, dropping the bag of ice onto the table and getting to her feet. “It’s hard to be creative with important things when you’re obsessed with someone.” She crosses the room, making sure to walk around Ryan, and makes her way to Ray’s side.

As Ray and Hound start to look through the files on the computer, Jack nudges Ryan. “You okay, man?” he asks.

Ryan swallows thickly and shakes his head. “No. Not even slightly,” he admits. “Thanks though. For stopping me from doing something really fucking stupid.”

Jack gives him a shrug. “No worries,” he says. “That’s why I came along, isn’t it? To make sure you two didn’t do anything stupid? Believe it or not, I’m actually surprised you didn’t snap earlier.”

“I’m such an idiot,” Ryan says. “If I had actually killed her.” He looks at Hound, wincing as the memory of her surprised and terrified expression comes back to his mind. He hadn’t even realized he was choking her until her knife was coming at his face. When Jack had wrestled him to the ground, it was like he had been in a daze. He could see what he was doing, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it.

The thing that bothered him the most was that he wasn’t that person anymore. He didn’t go around killing and torturing people just because the situation called for it. He hadn’t been that person in over five years. If he had killed Hound, what would Fox have done? How would he have been able to look her in the eye ever again? She still was furious with her ex, but she would have never forgiven Ryan. He knew her threats and angry words about Hound were from a place of pain, not hatred. He would have lost her forever.

“But you didn’t,” Jack says firmly. “You didn’t kill Hound. That counts for something.”

“It’s not about the fact that I didn’t, it’s about the fact that in that moment, I could have, Jack,” Ryan says. “God, how am I supposed to do this?” He runs his hands through his hair again, this time tugging hard on the strands like Fox always seemed to do when she was overly stressed. The mannerisms you pick up from your partner over the years...

“I know this is a hard situation--”

“No, not this whole thing,” Ryan says, waving towards Briggs’s stuff. “How am I supposed to be a father and have this dark part of me? Fox and I want to start a family. Hell, we are going to start a family. I’ve wanted to for so long. When we first met, I knew she was it for me. It was a pipe dream considering our career choices, but when we left Los Santos it actually seemed possible. I’ve been so careful since then. So controlled and contained. After Boss and torturing Ted, I told myself I would never go to that place again. I thought this dark part of me was finally done. Clearly it’s not.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Jack says sitting up so he can turn to face Ryan better. “I don’t care if this isn’t what you want to hear, but you have to. That ‘dark’ part of you, is always going to be there. It’s inevitable.” Ryan gives him a look, but doesn’t interrupt. “Fox knows that. She knew that as soon as you two met and she knew that after she sat and watched you torture Ted. And she still fucking married you. Five years later, she’s still with you. She knew that part of you was there when she told you she wanted to start a family. The important thing is that you don’t let it define you. You know it’s there, Ryan, and you try to be better. The old you? He would have killed Hound without a second thought.”

Ryan agrees with him on that point.

“But the fact that you’re thinking about this is a good sign,” Jack continues. “And when you both are finally rid of this place, it’ll be much easier. Right now, though, you need to focus on getting to Fox. Alright?” He claps his hand on Ryan’s shoulder.

Ryan takes a deep breath and nods. “Right, you’re right, Jack,” he says, patting his friend’s hand. “Thanks, buddy.” He needs the mood to change before he wallows in self-doubt and pity. If Fox was with him, she would make a joke or something. He settles for changing the subject. “You should visit the island once she and I get back. You probably need a vacation.”

“It’s a nice offer. But one thing at a time,” Jack says with a chuckle.

Ryan nods again and the two men stand so they can walk over to the others. “Alright, how are we doing?” he asks, clearing his throat slightly. The crew stops talking and immediately gives him wary looks.

“I don’t know, Ryan,” Geoff says in a cautious voice. “You tell us.”

All eyes are on him and he fights the urge to turn away from them. He’s ashamed he let himself lose control, but Jack and Hound are both right. There are bigger things to deal with at the moment. “I’m okay now,” he says. At Hound’s doubtful glare he adds. “Honestly. I’m okay. I’m sorry I lost control.”

“Apology accepted,” Hound says, looking back at the screen as Ray clicks around. “It’s not the first time someone’s husband tried to kill me and it probably won’t be the last.”

Ryan can’t help but smirk and she responds with one of her own.

“Some of this stuff is ancient,” Gavin says, breaking the tension as he motions to the wall. “Like, before she even met you or came to Los Santos. But, I don’t see anything with you in it, Rye. It’s all her.”

“If he’s obsessed with Fox, he’s not going to be Ryan’s biggest fan,” Geoff says. “So when we find out where he’s keeping her, we’re going to have be careful. If he sees you coming, Ryan, we don’t know what he’s going to do.”

“I agree,” Jack says, leaning on the desk. “Ray, anything?”

“Yup, got a few spreadsheets here for his finances,” Ray says turning the laptop around so the others can see. “He’s got a couple of places around town. Hound showed me which one was his other apartment you guys checked out. There’s this place, but then there’s also a couple of other places around town. Some are old apartment buildings, others are just shops and stuff. He’s got quite a bit of money.”

“Where are they located?” Geoff asks. He moves to stand on Ray’s other side as the younger man turns the laptop back around to look at the screen once more. Hound stands on his other side, studying the page as well. She is oddly silent, which leads Ryan to believe she’s lost in her own thoughts.

“And are any of them on the coast?” she asks.

“Why? Is that important?” Gavin questions.

“Fox loves the ocean,” Ryan says. “Briggs will want to try to get on her good side. He’ll bring her somewhere that’ll be comfortable for her.”

“Yeah, one of the apartment buildings is on the coast,” Ray says. Ryan sees his hands dance across the keys and the reflection of Google Maps comes up on his glasses. “It’s about, forty minutes from here or so.”

“Alright, we need to operate under the assumption that that’s where he’s keeping her,” Geoff says. “And we have to assume Michael and Lindsay are also there.”

“That is a safe assumption,” Hound says. “Briggs is a control freak. He’s very particular. He’s going to want them close by for leverage if he needs them.”

“We can’t just storm the place,” Jack says. “Not until we know where they are. Michael and Fox will be able to handle themselves, Lindsay may have some difficulty.”

“Why? What do you mean?” Ryan asks.

“She’s pregnant,” Gavin answers.

Ryan’s stomach drops and he feels even guiltier than he did before. He had been so worried about Fox, he hadn’t really given Michael and Lindsay much thought. He hoped Fox was at least with them. Before, he had every confidence that Lindsay could overpower any guard. But physically, she’s limited and her situation proves they need to proceed delicately.

“Shit,” Hound muttered, pushing her hair back from her face. “Alright, this is where my skills sort of falter. Planning jobs was always Fox’s area. I’m open to suggestions.”

“Me, Hound and Gav are benched from getting anywhere near that building,” Ryan says. “At least right away. If he sees either of us coming, he’s heading out the door. Or worse.”

“He worked for Boss,” Geoff reminds them. “Me, Ray and Jack are out too. He knows our faces.”

“Then how the bloody hell are we supposed to get to them?” Gavin asks.

Ryan sighs heavily and pushes himself off the desk to stand up straight. “Do we have any other contacts?” he asks. “Anyone else we can try to send in?”

“I may have a few,” Geoff says. “I’ll reach out to them and see if they can help.”

“Okay, I think we all have to agree on one thing,” Jack says, forcing everyone to look at him. “No matter what happens, we cannot let Ryan be alone with Briggs.”

“What? Why?” Hound asks. “Isn’t that the one thing we _do_ want? He can take out Briggs no problem.”

Ryan shares a look with Jack and gives him a small nod. “No, no, Jack is right,” he says, absentmindedly touching the scratch on his face. “He’s obsessed with Fox, so he’s going to expect me to come for her. He’s going to have a trap for me. If I get myself captured or worse trying to get to her, she’ll kick my ass herself.”

“Look, guys, Briggs is smart, clearly,” Geoff says, leaning in close. “We need to be smarter. Between all of us, I’m pretty sure that’s possible. We do this, and we do this right. It’s not just about Fox, Michael and Lindsay. There’s a Baby Jones we need to think about and we can’t take unnecessary risks.”

“If we do this,” Ray speaks up. “It’s going to be dangerous. He’s got a lot of money, he’s had time to prepare. He’s going to be ready for us.”

“I think you’re all dancing around something important,” Hound says, forcing them to look at her. “This might be a one way street. They are going to be armed. If we can’t get help to infiltrate, we’ll be going in blind. You all willing to risk your lives for them?”

“Absolutely,” Gavin says immediately.

“Fuck yeah, I am,” Geoff adds.

“Of course,” Jack responds.

“Yeah, alright,” Ray puts in.

Ryan catches Hound’s eye. He doesn’t need to say anything. She knows his answer. He raises his eyebrow at her. She’s the one he’s worried about. The guys would rescue Fox even if Michael and Lindsay were safe. He knew that. What he doesn’t know is if Hound is willing to risk her life for them.

She takes a deep breath and gives him a sharp nod. “Good,” she says. She turns to Geoff. “You seem to have some knowledge of heist planning. You want to do the honors?”

Geoff smirks and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Already on it.”


	18. Chapter 18

Lindsay and Michael sleep the whole night, and you don’t bother waking them to switch shifts. You’re not remotely tired and you know they are probably exhausted. They both look so peaceful, and you remind yourself that neither of them has had a decent night’s sleep since they were taken. They must feel safe having you watch over them. The thought makes you smile.

You finish off most of the sandwiches, saving a few for Lindsay in the morning. You don’t know when breakfast will be delivered and you’re sure she’s going to wake up hungry.

Ryan’s mask lays out next to you on the bed and every now and then you run your fingers across it. The skull used to give you the creeps, but for some reason right now it comforts you. It reminds you that even though Ryan isn’t physically near you, a part of him is still there. What would he do in this situation? How would he escape?

“I wonder what you’re doing now,” you whisper to the mask, as if you’re talking to your husband. You’re glad drugged you still had the mental capacity to pocket the mask. Briggs would have no doubt left it behind or thrown it away if he had found it.

When you think about how angry and hurt Ryan must have been when he noticed you were gone, it makes your chest ache. You try not to picture how broken he probably looked and you feel bad for anyone who might try to get in his way. Because you know he’s looking for you, and you know he will tear the city apart to do find you.

Thinking about Ryan hurts too much, so you go over the ideas you, Michael and Lindsay talked about before. You try to string them together into a more cohesive plan. Even if you manage to take out one or two of the guards, sneaking through the rest of the building provides its own set of problems. And if you manage to escape, what then? Is there a car you can steal? You can feel yourself getting frustrated so you try to focus on one issue at a time.

The first thing you need to figure out is how far away the guards are from the room where you are being kept. Are they right outside? Are they a few feet away? Do they do rounds? Michael seemed to think they did rounds when you were in the basement. After moving the three of you however, that might have changed.

You pocket the mask again and turn your attention back out the window. To your surprise, you can see the sun starting to rise. You unfold your legs from under you and bite back a noise of pain as you realize they’ve fallen asleep. You grit through the pins and needles as the feeling starts to return to them. Michael stirs just as you lower your feet over the edge of the bed. He rubs his blurry eyes as he rolls over to grab his glasses from the nightstand.

“What time is it?” he asks, his voice hoarse from sleep.

“Around seven it looks like,” you say glancing out the window.

Michael pushes his glasses onto his face and sits up with a large stretch and yawn. When he looks at you, you see he’s a bit disorientated from sleeping and it takes a second for him to register that it’s the morning. “Wait a second, were you awake all night?” he asks. “Why didn’t you wake me? I could have switched off with you.”

You wave your hand dismissively, stretching your legs a little to get the blood flowing in them again. “Don’t worry about it,” you say. “I’m not even tired.” It’s only half true. Your body is exhausted, but your mind is too busy to even consider sleep. You move to stand so you can relieve yourself in the bathroom and splash water on your face.

“Fox, you need to get some sleep,” Michael says. “If we’re going to get out of here, we need you at your best.”

“I’ve never been sharper,” you tell him, crossing the room to the bathroom. You purposely don’t look at Michael, so you can ignore his disapproving scowl. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” You close the door behind you before he can say anything else.

After you relieve yourself, you move to wash your hands in the sink. The bathroom mirror is dirty, but you use the end of one of the towels to wipe it down. Once you see your reflection, you sort of wish you hadn’t. You look terrible. Your cheek is swollen from where Briggs slapped you and your bloodshot eyes have bags under them. You push your hair back and splash cold water over your face. It feels amazing so you do it two more times before shutting off the faucet.

You dry your face with the clean end of the towel before hanging it back up. When you step out of the bathroom, Michael is rubbing Lindsay’s back to coax her awake. She makes a noise of annoyance and shoves him away. Rolling his eyes, Michael leaves her alone and grabs one of the sandwiches you left.

“What did you do all night?” he asks.

“Thought. About a lot of stuff,” you say, walking around the room a bit to stretch your legs. You’ve been sitting for hours and don’t want to go back to it right away.

“If you could elaborate that would be great,” Michael says before taking a large bite of the sandwich in his hands. He sits on the edge of his and Lindsay’s bed, watching you pace.

“We need a way to see how far away the guards are,” you say. “I was thinking Lindsay could fake pain or something and we make enough noise to see how long it takes them to come running.”

“That’s a good idea. My only problem with that is I don’t want them to try and whisk her away to some bullshit doctor we don’t know,” Michael says, gesturing at you with the sandwich. “I will fucking kill someone if they try.”

“I don’t think they would,” you say. “They’ll probably send for a medic or something. They must have one on staff. At the very least it’s another opportunity for them to come back and us to get the jump on them.”

“Okay,” Michael says. “That still only leaves us with a few towels and some wood to fight them off.”

“The bathroom has a mirror,” you say. “We can smash it and use the pieces, if you don’t mind seven years bad luck.”

“Actually, the mirror would help us look around corners and under doors,” Michael tells you. “That’s not a bad idea. But you have to break the mirror. I’ve got a kid on the way. I’m not risking bad luck.”

You chuckle. “Done. My luck is shit anyways,” you tell him. You move over to the dresser and open the drawer. After some maneuvering, you manage to pull it away from the frame completely and you carry it over to your bed. “Lindsay was right, the bottom of this will be easy to break.” Michael finishes his sandwich and moves to stand next to you.

Together you manage to remove the bottom of the drawer and you carefully break the thin wood into sharp splinters. Michael takes the frame of the drawer to place it back in the dresser, while you divide the splinters by large to small. Suddenly, you hear footsteps outside the room and Michael furiously tries to put the drawer back while you gather the wood and shove the pieces into the drawer of the nightstand.

The door opens just as Michael moves to stand by you. You notice you forgot a piece on the bed and manage to shove it into your pocket just as two of Briggs men enter the room. One pushes in a cart covered with pastries and soft bagels. The other has a blindfold.

“He would like to speak to you,” he says gruffly, looking directly at you.

Michael grabs your hand to stop you from stepping forward, but you turn to him. “No, it’s okay,” you tell him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Fox--”

“I need to speak to him and get to the bottom of this,” you remind him. “And I know what I’m walking into this time. I can handle it.” You show him a sliver of the wood in your pocket. He purses his lips together and gives you a short nod.

You allow the guard to blindfold you and both of them lead you from the room. You try to pay attention again to the direction in which they take you, but it’s difficult this time because you are more exhausted than you initially realized.

_Straight for thirty seconds, sharp right, up some stairs, slight left._

You’re forced to stop quicker than you anticipate and the guard knocks twice. The door swings open and a warm breeze take you by surprise. You’re going outside? However, when the blindfold is yanked off, you realize you’re on a balcony, not on the ground like you had hoped. Briggs is standing by a small table, ladled down with breakfast foods. You feel sick to your stomach at the thought that he wants to dine with you, but you have to keep your expression neutral.

“Good morning,” Briggs says. “How did you sleep?”

You eye him warily. “I didn’t.”

“Where the quarters not to your satisfaction?” Briggs asks.

“They were fine.”

Briggs smiles cheerfully and pulls out the chair on the right side of the table. “Care to have a seat?”

You don’t have a choice really. But there’s still that defiant part of you that has to put your foot down. “No, thank you.”

Briggs eyes darken slightly. “It’s rude not to accept a polite invitation,” he says.

“It’s also rude to kidnap someone,” you point out.

“Humor me,” Briggs says.

“Why should I?” you ask.

“Because you have questions and I feel you deserve some answers.”

His answer surprises you. Enough that any smart ass retort you had been planning to throw at him goes away instantly. You slowly walk over to the table and take the offered seat. Briggs pushes your chair in and nods to his men, who close the door to the balcony and stand in front of it, watching you carefully. You should have known after that last meeting he wouldn’t be alone with you. You did threaten his life after all.

“I want to apologize for how I reacted yesterday,” Briggs says, moving to take the seat across from you. You try not to fidget in your seat, your back stiff and your eyes trying not to leave Briggs’s face. It’s hard though. You don’t want anything to do with him. You don’t want to be there. You want to be back on your island with Ryan. Not even the smell and sound of the ocean helps this time. It’s wrong. It’s not your beach and ocean. You should be having breakfast on your beach with Ryan. “I should not have hit you.”

“No you shouldn’t have,” you say.

“That wasn’t right for me to do,” Briggs continues. “And I don’t want you to think physical violence is going to be normal moving forward.”

His words send a stab of anxiety and fear through you, but you keep your composure. “What do you mean ‘moving forward’?” you ask in a carefully controlled tone.

“I mean when we start our life together, of course” he says excitedly. “I’ve been meaning to ask you where you want to go once this is done. I know you like the ocean--”

“Briggs,” you cut him off.

“Lee,” he corrects. “We’re too close for last names.”

“Briggs,” you repeat firmly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He looks surprised. “Oh, so you want to stay in the city?” he asks. “That’s unfortunate. All my plans involve leaving. But I think I can make that work. I mean, we’d have to take care of the crew because they will keep coming for you, but I’m sure I can manage…”

“I’m sorry, I’m going to stop you there,” you say as gently as possible. You want to call him out on his comment about the crew, but you have to be careful. He’s clearly not all there and you don’t want to say anything that’s going to anger him. You finally have your chance at some answers and you’re going to get what you came for. “I’m confused. What exactly do you think we have here? What do you think our relationship is?”

“You saved my life,” Briggs insists. “I can’t believe you don’t remember. The job was going south. The security guard was about to shoot me, and you stopped him. Made him leave. You were so sweet to me. So beautiful and kind. When you offered me your hand and helped me up, I knew we would be in love forever.”

Your stomach is in knots. You remember the job. You remember Hound distracting the guard so you could go in and save your team. You don’t remember his face, but he must have been one of the members you saved.

 _He’s sick,_ you realize. _Legitimately. He thinks we have a relationship. He thinks he means something to me. He thinks he loves me. All because of one encounter. This isn’t good. I don’t know if I can even get through to him._

This is not the scenario you envisioned. It’s so much worse. Angry, vengeful and ambitious you can handle. This. This you can’t. You have no idea how to deal with this situation. Everything you were planning to do before goes out the window. He doesn’t need a beat down. He doesn’t need to be shot through the chest. He needs help.

“Briggs--”

He slams his fist on the table, making the dishes rattle and you jump. “ _Lee!_ ” he corrects. “My first name is ‘Lee’.” He clears his throat and you see him try to reign his anger in. “I would like it if you called me by my first name. When you say my last name like that, it’s so detached.”

You think over your response carefully before you say it, “I understand your feelings,” you say slowly. “But I would feel more comfortable calling you ‘Briggs’.”

The vein in his neck twitches as he clenches his jaw tightly. At first he doesn’t say anything. He stares you down and you try to keep your expression calm and neutral. He’s clearly not pleased, but he doesn’t shout again. Instead he says, “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

You exhale slowly. “Briggs,” you continue. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re confused. I am not going to stay here with you, nor am I going to leave with you. I am with someone else.”

“Don’t worry about _him_ ,” Briggs says, a bite to his voice. “I can handle him. I hoped to take care of him years ago. That’s why I handed those pictures over to Boss. But Boss was too blinded but his rage at your betrayal that he didn’t take care of him like I suggested. He had to go and try to teach you a lesson.”

“Yes he did,” you say. “And you were there the night he did. That I do remember. I remember Ted and you beating the shit out of me.”

“I didn’t want to,” Briggs says. “But I was just so angry. You chose him over me. I helped you so many times with Boss. Every time you talked back, every time you took too long on a job or didn’t get him what he wanted I backed you up and told him you were worth it. But after that night, I couldn’t defend you anymore.”

You never thought twice about that. Never thought that Boss had been discouraged with you long before Ryan came along. Briggs had taken it upon himself to defend you, to try to step in and be your “knight in shining armor”. But you never needed a knight. You never asked him to defend you. “I didn’t ask you to do that,” you tell him. “I never did.”

“You didn’t need to,” Briggs says. “I knew you needed my help, so I helped.”

“So those pictures were your doing,” you say. “And Boss thinking I was a ‘whore’? That was you too?”

Briggs looks ashamed. “I’ll admit, I didn’t take it very well when I found out about you and him. Boss heard me ranting and that’s when he learned about you two.”

“He thought you had spied on me for his cause, not your own,” you say.

“I didn’t spy,” Briggs snaps, his anger coming at you full force. So much so that you almost flinch because of it. “I was watching over you, making sure you were safe. I tried to protect you from him by telling Boss but he still stole you from me. He still took you away and locked you up on some God forsaken island.”

“Briggs, you don’t understand,” you say. “Ryan didn’t steal me away. I asked him to leave Los Santos. I love Ryan. I’m married to Ryan. If I leave here, I’m leaving here with him. I choose him. I will always choose him.”

“Stop saying his name!” Briggs nearly bellows. “And you chose me first!”

You shake your head. “No, I didn’t,” you tell him. He sits back in his seat, almost as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing. But he didn’t lash out, so that encourages you to keep taking. “Briggs, you need help. I didn’t choose you. I helped you, yes. Because you needed help. And now you need it again.”

“I don’t need help!” Briggs snaps. “You do. You need help from him.”

“Ryan loves me,” you tell him firmly. “He would never hurt me. In fact, I think we both know he’s looking for me right now.”

“And like I said before, I’m counting on it,” Briggs says.

“What did you do?” you ask.

“Nothing, yet,” Briggs says.

That’s a small consolation, but it’s enough for you to press forward. If you could only get through to him, maybe you could end this thing without anyone else getting hurt. “Briggs, you don’t need to hurt him. If you just let us go--”

“Then you and I will never be rid of him,” he says. “When he comes for you, I will take care of him and then we can finally be together. I am sad Hound will get caught in this. I always kind of liked her. I mean, when she stabbed you I almost killed her. I followed her that night but she told that crew to go fuck themselves and I realized she was just trying to protect you, like I am.”

Shock flows through your body, but you try desperately not to let your face betray you. He’s been watching you this whole time. He even watched you when you were with Hound and that thought makes you shudder with disgust. But something else he says baffles you. Hound didn’t join that crew? She was just trying to protect you? You really can’t take much stock in what he’s saying, but if it’s true you and Hound are going to have to have a long chat after all this is over.  

“Briggs, you need to tell me what you are going to do right now,” you order in a low dangerous voice. “Ryan has never hurt you. He’s never done anything to you!”

“HE TOOK YOU FROM ME!” Briggs yells. “He stole you away! Hid you on some island where I couldn’t find you. But I did. And now I’m going to save you.”

“I don’t need saving!” you tell him. “He didn’t steal me. I already told you, he didn’t take me away from you! I asked him to leave with me. I asked that we get away from this place. It was my choice! My decision. No one gets to decide my fate, only I do. And I am not leaving here with you.”

“Once he’s out of the way, you will,” Briggs says. “I know you don’t mean that. You just don’t want to hurt his feelings. It’s okay. I understand.”

“Take me back to my room,” you order, pushing yourself up to stand. “We’re done here.” You can’t stomach being in his presence anymore. You think you’re going to throw up if you have to.

Briggs stands as well. “Don’t be like that,” he says, moving around the table towards you. You don’t back away. You stand your ground as he comes closer and your hand slips into your pocket to curl around the piece of wood there. “Let’s have a nice breakfast. I know you’re in a rush to get back to your friends. By the way, it wasn’t very nice to throw away my listening device.”

“It’s not nice to kidnap and then try to listen in on people,” you tell him. He draws even closer and you see his hand move as if reaching up for you. “Do not touch me. I’m warning you.”

He doesn’t listen. He reaches up to stroke your cheek, but the second his hand makes contact, you grab his wrist, slam it on the table and stab the piece of wood through his palm. The guards are on you in a second as Briggs screams in pain. It’s not a bad wound. Probably the equivalent of a large splinter, but it’s enough to cause him to stumble away.   

“Take her away!” Briggs snaps, yanking the wood out of his hand. “But don’t hurt her!”

As the guards seize you by the upper arms and start to lead you away, Briggs calls your name and you freeze, turning your head to look at him.

“It’ll be okay, you’ll see,” he says. “I’ll take care of him and then everything will be perfect.”

You don’t respond.

You barely pay attention when one of the guards pulls the blindfold over your eyes and leads you back to your room. When you come to a stop and you hear them unlocking the door, you reach up to yank the blindfold off.

On of the guards opens the door and you’re shoved roughly back inside, but you barely have enough time to give a sarcastic retort before Michael immediately says, “Oh, thank god you are here! My wife needs medical attention!”

You look at him with alarm. Lindsay is doubled over clutching her stomach, a pained expression across her face as she breathes heavily. Your heart drops for a moment, before Michael catches your eyes and you remember what you had discussed before.

“What’s wrong?” the guard who shoved you asks gruffly.

“Pain! So much pain!” Lindsay wails dramatically. “I’m pregnant! Something is wrong with the baby! I need a doctor!”

One guard looks terrified, the other doubtful. “It’s just a trick,” he says.

“Dude, she’s pregnant,” the panicked one tells him as he grabs a cellphone out of his pocket. “Go see if you can find a first aid kit or something.” The guard rolls his eyes, but leaves. The remaining guard presses a button on his cell and puts it to his ear. “Hey! We need some help in here!” he snaps once whoever he calls answers. Clearly it’s not Briggs since he wouldn’t speak to his boss that way. “Isn’t the new guy a medic? Get him in here now! The pregnant one is in pain. I sent Kal to get a first aid kit.”

He hangs up as Lindsay continues to wail dramatically and Michael acts like the perfect freaked out husband. You need to help them sell it so you hurry to her other side. “Just breathe, Lindsay,” you order, rubbing her back. “Someone is coming.”

A few minutes later there is a knock on the door and the guard opens it. At first you’re incredibly confused as you recognize the men in the doorway, but you force yourself not to react. Michael’s eyes are wide, but he also keeps his mouth shut.

“What happened?” the shorter of the two asks as he marches in with his medical kit. “Ran into Kal on my rounds. Said someone needed medical assistance.”

“Pain, lots of pain,” Lindsay says. She’s crying now and her body is shaking. Damn she’s good.

“I’m going to tell Briggs,” the first guard says. “You two, watch them.” He hurries away. As soon as the door closes, Michael exclaims.

“Kerry? Dan? What the FUCK are you two doing here?!”

“Shh, keep your voice down,” Kerry shushes him, putting his kit on the floor.

“Geoff and Gavin sent us,” Dan says. “Are you guys okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Lindsay says, straightening up and waving Kerry off as he moves to examine her. “We wanted to know the response time of backup.”

“Oh, smart,” Kerry says approvingly.

“You guys here to bust us out?” you ask. “Also, how the fuck did you get in here?”

“Briggs has a shuttle pick up his men from the main road and bring them here,” Dan says. “We just snuck on. He’s constantly switching employees so no one really noticed or questioned it.”

“How did you figure that out?” you ask.

“Hound,” Kerry says. “She and Ryan have been working all night digging up stuff on Briggs. Once they figured out where you were being kept, Gavin and Jack staked out the area and every three hours, Briggs sends a shuttle to pick up the next batch of guards for their shift. Geoff had called us because he knew Briggs didn’t know our faces. We agreed to go in and find you guys to let you know what’s going on.”

“It’s so fucking awesome to see you,” Michael says with relief, pulling Kerry into a one-armed hug. “So what now?”

Dan pulls his gun out of its holster and checks the clip. “Next, we get you guys out of here,” he says. “If that guard went to talk to Briggs, he’s going to know something is wrong. He’ll send more. We managed to take care of Kal though. We don’t have to worry about him.”

“You sure you’re okay, Lindsay?” Kerry asks.

“Yeah I’m fine,” she says. “I just need to get out of here.”

“Our plan was to jump the guard that delivers our meals and take his weapon,” you say. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have an extra gun, would you?”

They nod and Dan pulls one from the waistband of his pants. “This was Kal’s” Dan says. “But it’s all we have, gun wise. We were checked before we got on the shuttle. Each guard only gets one standard issue gun. I still feel bad about the two blokes we jumped for these uniforms.” He hands Michael the extra gun.

“We’ll send them a fruit basket,” Kerry says. He reaches into his medical kit. “They checked my bag, which we thought they would, so I don’t have a cell. And we couldn’t risk earpieces. But I was able to smuggle this in for you, from Hound.”

He hands you one of her throwing knives and you smirk as you flip it up in the air and catch it by the handle. You haven’t used one in quite a long time, but the skill comes back to you easily. You weren’t so bad with a throwing knife, a fact you proved to Ryan when he tried to teach you and you almost nailed the target on the first go. Hound was always better. She never missed.

You hear loud noises and you barely have a chance to hide behind the door as it opens. The guard who went to talk to Briggs burst in, gun in hand. “You three need to come with me right--”

You don’t give him a chance to finish as you jump on his back, slinging your arm across his mouth to keep him from screaming. You press the tip of the knife into his neck. Kerry, Michael and Dan raise their guns at him. “Drop your weapon,” you say in his ear. The man immediately drops his gun. “Now, did you contact Briggs?” He shakes his head. “Good. I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. Make a sound and you’re dead, got it?”

The guy nods furiously and you lower your feet on the ground and carefully pull the knife away from his neck. You drop your hand from his mouth. The guy doesn’t move or make a sound, but you turn the knife around and hit him in the back of the head with the handle, promptly knocking him out.

“That worked out well,” Lindsay says. You grab his gun and toss it to her. “Here, you need this more than I do. I assume you guys know how to get out of here?”

Kerry nods. “There’s a back exit where the shuttle is. The guys are supposed to meet us so we have a vehicle. But if things go wrong and they don’t, we can drive the shuttle out of here.”

“What about the others?” you ask. “I take it they are the reason the guards are delayed?”

Dan checks his watch. “If they followed the timeline right, then yes. They provided the distraction.”

“Don’t tell me Ryan is with them,” you say.

When Kerry and Dan exchange looks you swear. “He can’t be here!” you exclaim. “Briggs is going to kill him! We need to get to Briggs first.”

“Fox, I need to get Lindsay out of here!” Michael tells you.

“I know,” you say. “Michael, you and Kerry take Lindsay and get her out of here.”

“What about you?” Lindsay asks.

You reach into your pocket and pull out Ryan’s mask. You study it for a moment. “Dan and I have a date with Briggs,” you finally say, glancing up at them.

“Fox, you can’t stay here,” Lindsay says.

“It’s suicide,” Michael says.

“I need to get to Briggs,” you say firmly. “He has a plan for Ryan and I need to stop him before he hurts him. Guys, he’s not all there. He needs help. If I can just talk to him, I think I can get through to him and end this before something terrible happens.

“Our mission was to get all three of you out,” Kerry tells you.

“I’m pretty sure he knows we’re planning to escape,” you say. “He knew we got rid of his listening device so I’m sure he’s figured it out by now. You’ll need time. And Briggs needs to be stopped. I can do both but I can’t risk him and Ryan being in the same room. He has something planned and I don’t want to know what it is. Ryan doesn’t know Briggs is sick. If I’m not there, he’s going to kill him. What do you say, Dan?”

Dan is silent for a moment, before he glances at Kerry. “She’s right,” he says.

“Fox--” Michael begins.

“Stop wasting time, Jones,” you snap. “You and Kerry get your wife and child out of here. I promised myself I would get you guys out and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Michael is silent for a moment before he sighs and nods. “Okay,” he says, motioning to Kerry and Lindsay. “God, how Geoff fought with you all the time is beyond me. You’re fucking tiring. You want to risk yourself, I’m not going to stop you.” You return his wry smile with one of your own. You understand the sentiment. That’s his way of wishing you good luck.

There isn’t time for arguing, so Kerry nods and leads the way out of the room. Lindsay pauses to give you a big hug. “Be careful,” she urges.

“You first,” you tell her, hugging her back.

Michael reaches over to pat your cheek before giving you a quick kiss on the forehead. “Alright, let’s go.”

They disappear through the doorway and Dan turns to you. “Ready?”

“Yeah, one second,” you say. You carefully slip the skull mask over your face. It’s a little big on you, but you can still see out of the eyeholes perfectly. “Ready.”


	19. Chapter 19

None of them slept.

They spent the majority of the night in Briggs’s place, coordinating their plan. Geoff took the helm, making phone calls and ordering the others to go get supplies or help look for missing information. Kerry and Dan were heading to the docks. Gavin and Jack had staked out the location for hours and found out Briggs shuttled his men to and from the property every few hours, so Kerry and Dan were on their way to jump two of the guards and take their uniforms.

Hound had made her staff bring her a laptop from her office and she and Ray had dug up everything they could on Briggs and the property in the short hours they had. The benefit to this was that they now knew the layout of the building and the rough number of men he kept on staff. It meant they could plan a better infiltration and be mostly prepared for what was to come.

Ryan stood by Geoff almost the entire night, silent but watching closely.

It made him proud to see his friends banding together to help. Though, in all honesty, he expected no less from them. Dan and Kerry didn’t even hesitate. They arrived within twenty minutes of Geoff calling them and promptly agreed to help. Even Hound was being mostly sufferable. She seemed just as determined as everyone else to help Fox, Michael and Lindsay.

It was the only time since they met that Ryan didn’t want to smack her. She didn’t argue or make tons of sarcastic comments. She did what Geoff asked of her mostly without question. There was a first time for everything. Ryan still felt guilty every time he glanced over at her and could see the bruises on her neck. He had tried to apologize again but she told him to stop or she was going to go crazy. So he kept his mouth shut and his hands clenched into fists, which were shoved deep in his pockets.

“Alright, Dan and Kerry cornered two of the men coming back from their shift and are waiting for the next shuttle,” Geoff says. He puts his phone away as he turns to look at Ryan. “How are you holding up?”

“Not well,” he answers. “Geoff, this doesn’t sit right with me. None of this. I’ve been thinking…”

“Always dangerous,” Geoff says. “You’re too pretty to think.”

Despite himself, Ryan smirks slightly. “Shut up and just listen,” he says. “Briggs, he’s clearly obsessed with Fox.” He gestures to the wall and the room around them. “Look at this wall. This apartment. Look at everything he’s done in the last few days. He kidnapped her. Lord knows what he’s doing to her now. He’s not all there. This level of obsession needs to be treated. He’s really sick, Geoff. He needs help.”

Geoff sighs and rubs his eyes. He doesn’t respond right away. He looks at the mural on the wall and reaches out to touch some of the photos and newspaper clippings. “Yeah, I was thinking that too,” he eventually says. Ryan turns to look at the wall with him. It still makes him sick and Geoff agreed to let him tear it all down before they left for the mission. “Which makes this all the more dangerous. There’s no telling what he’ll do to you if he sees you, or worse, what he’ll do to them. All of these photos are of her, and some of them you can see where he cut you out. He clearly hates you.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that,” Ryan says. “I’m lucky he didn’t decide to off me when I was knocked out.”

“He probably didn’t have the time,” Geoff says. “Think about it. He was in a rush. He needed to get Fox and get out before we realized what was going on.”

A chill runs down Ryan’s spine as he pictures Briggs standing over his unconscious body, a look of pure hatred and anger on his face. He was lucky. Things could be much worse. He could have killed both Ryan and Hound. That thought makes Ryan come to a realization. “The fact that he didn’t kill us is a good thing,” he tells Geoff. “Boss would have. Countless of other assholes we’ve gone up against would have. But he didn’t. There may be hope for a peaceful outcome. I don’t want to kill him. Killing him isn’t the way to go. He’s not malicious and evil. He needs to get help. We need to try to talk him down. Knocking him out should be the worse case scenario.”

“I agree,” Geoff says. “Which is why I sent Jack and Gavin to get a few taser guns instead of actual ones. If we can take him out, we’ll bring him to a hospital so he can get treated.”

Ryan relaxes a little and gives Geoff a grateful smile. “Thanks, Geoff,” he says. “For understanding and pretty much for everything. For organizing all of this.”

“No problem,” Geoff says giving him a pat on the back. “Honestly, it feels good to be planning something again. Sort of like a ‘one last mission’ kind of thing.”

“One last mission?” Ryan asks.

Geoff shrugs. “I’m getting old, man,” he says. “Can’t keep doing this thing forever. You of all people can understand that.”

Ryan definitely could. He and Fox had come to the same conclusion and once she was back with him, he knew they would be done with this life for good. His heart aches just thinking about it. “What are you planning to do after?” he asks.

Geoff gives him a shrug as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “I have no fucking clue,” he admits. “Retirement sounds great though. Maybe I’ll fish. I feel like I’d be a fisherman.”

Ryan laughs. “Oh god,” he says. “You in a boat, in the middle of a large body of water, with a cooler of drinks? What could possibly go wrong?”

“You laugh, but watch,” Geoff says with a grin. “You’ll be jealous when I don’t invite you to all of my barbecues. Fresh fish on the grill? Fuck yeah.”

They fall silent, each thinking about the life they have to look forward to once everything is said and done. “Our island is surrounded by fish,” Ryan offers after a few moments. “You should come visit. Everyone else seems to be on board.”

“Listen, if I leave here, I’m never coming back,” Geoff says. “I’m so done with this place. And it’s easier to get out of the game when you don’t live in the fucking hub of criminal activity.”

Ryan gives him a wide smile. “We have the room,” he says pointedly. “And a contractor if you want your own place.”

“Cool, sounds awesome,” Geoff says. “But, before that, we need to get your wife and the Joneses out of there. Then we deal with Briggs.”

“We can’t operate under the assumption he won’t hurt Fox,” Hound says coming over to stand in front of the two men. They turn away from the wall to face her.

“What do you mean?” Ryan asks.

“If he’s as unstable as we think he is, that makes him ten times more dangerous. Unpredictable,” Hound says. “Plus, there was blood left behind when he took her. It was either his or hers, but it’s very possible it was both. Because if she was even slightly conscious, we both know there’s no way she wouldn’t have put up a fight. Also, we don’t know what’s going through his head and we probably won’t ever be able to figure it out.”

“In some twisted way he loves Fox,” Ryan says. “But I get what you’re saying. His hate for me, mixed with his clearly unstable mind is a terribly scary combination.”

“You know him better than any of us,” Geoff says to Hound. “Do you think he’ll hurt her?”

“The man I knew isn’t this man,” Hound says, almost sadly. “I don’t know what to think to be honest.”

“I think it’s a possibility he could hurt her,” Ray says, joining Hound. He’s carrying Briggs’s laptop and places it on the desk in front of him before closing the screen. “Look at everything he’s done. I agree with Ryan. He may not intend to, but one wrong move and I can see this going downhill very fast.”

“How so?” Geoff asks.

“He means if things don’t go his way, it’s going to be dangerous,” Hound says. “Briggs can have a bit of a temper problem. I’ve noticed it a few times. It was never directed towards me, and I did try to talk to him about it. But if things don’t go as scheduled or planned, all hell would break loose. I’ve even witnessed him be fine one second then just scream at someone the next. It’s going to be worse now. He has Fox and he’s not going to give her up without a fight.”

“Did you guys find the connection between the three of you?” Ryan asks. “It would help if we could get some context to his behavior.”

“Yeah, Hound and I did some more research and I can confirm that he was part of the crew with them,” Ray says. “Our guess is that she helped him at some point and with his mental state, he latched on to her and didn’t let go. It probably started off small.”

“I think it was during our first job together,” Hound says. “Our people were stuck inside a bank, a guard was still doing rounds and I lured him away while Fox went in to get the rest of the team. It’s the only time that makes sense. After that, she and I were pretty much solo on most of the jobs, aside from those who were actually recruited from that job specifically. None of these photos or articles are from longer than five years ago. We think when he saw her again in Los Santos, when she was working for Boss, it made his obsession worse and worse.”

“Hey, Ryan,” Geoff says.

Ryan turns to stare at the older man, who is busy studying the wall of photos again. “What’s up?”

Geoff’s brow is furrowed and he looks concerned. “This one looks familiar,” he says, tapping one photo in the upper right-hand section.

Ryan steps over to him to take a closer look. It’s a photo of Fox in a jacket and leggings, walking down what looks like an alley. Clearly it was an older photo, as they both had actively avoided alleys since they left Los Santos. Upon closer examination, he realizes that Geoff is right. It does look familiar.

“Didn’t Boss show Fox a bunch of photos from the night you broke into the liquor shop? The day he had her beaten?” Geoff continues. “I remember because you guys fucking kept the one of you two fucking in the car.”

“Yeah we did,” Ryan says. “It’s framed in our bedroom.”

“Fucking weirdos,” Hound mutters, moving around to look at the photo herself. Ray follows her lead.

“Wait,” Ryan says. He puts two and two together. “Briggs sold us out to Boss. He’s the reason Boss found out she was working with us. When he saw us together, that’s probably what triggered the anger. Fox had been with people before me, but they were all one night stand situations.”

“And when Briggs saw that wasn’t the case this time,” Hound continues for him. “That was it. The switch was flipped. Fuck, Haywood, you cannot go in there.”

“Well, I have to now,” Ryan says. “I can’t just leave Fox alone with him.”

“Ryan, if he sees you, he’s going to hurt you,” Ray says. “I may not know much, but I’m sure of that. He will attack you.”

“I have to try,” Ryan says. “For Fox’s sake.”

“None of that matters if we can’t find a way to get there ourselves,” Hound says. “Kerry and Dan are infiltrating, yeah. But what about us?”

“I’ve got that covered,” Geoff says. He turns back to the desk so he can rest his hands on top of the surface. “We’re going to have to break into three small teams. Ray, you and Hound are going to stay behind to run the coms.”

Ryan doesn’t have to wait long for the inevitable shitstorm he sees coming as soon as Geoff speaks.

Hound’s eyes go wide and her mouth hangs open in surprise. “Like hell I’m staying behind,” she bursts out. “I’m going with you guys.”

Ryan wonders how she and Fox ever got stuff done. They both are stubborn and hard-headed and he bites back a heavy sigh. “No, you’re staying behind,” he says firmly, nodding in agreement with Geoff. Hound rounds on him, her face twisted with anger. “Don’t look at me like that. If this thing goes tits up, we need you for backup.”

“Oh sure, that’s why,” Hound says angrily. “You sure it’s not because you want to play hero?”

Ryan’s anger is well past the breaking point and his patience had run out long ago. “Hound, we need to talk,” he says in a low voice. The conversation he wants to have with her has nothing to do with the crew and everything to do with him, Hound and whatever weird dynamic is going on between them. So he motions towards the bedroom and she stomps away while he follows.

As soon as he closes the door, she rounds on him. “You’re fucking leaving me behind? After all of this? After everything we’ve talked about and everything I told you! You’re just going to toss me aside--”

“Will you fucking shut up for two seconds so I can explain?” Ryan bursts out, promptly earning a slap across the face. A hard one. His cheek tingles when he jerks away. “Alright...sorry. That was rude. I deserved that.”

“You deserve a lot more,” Hound snaps, pointing to her bruised neck. That familiar stab of guilt shoots through Ryan and he resists the urge to apologize for the thousandth time. There are more important things to discuss.

“Hound, please just listen to me,” he pleads. He sees her open her mouth to speak, but he continues quickly, cutting her off. “If something happens to me, I need you to take care of Fox.”

Whatever she was going to say doesn’t come out. Instead she stands there, her mouth hanging open again. After a few seconds, she closes it with a snap, eyebrows drawn together as she regards him suspiciously. He can see the wheels turning in her head as she works out what he’s trying to tell her. Finally she says, “What do you mean ‘if something happens to you’?”

“Come on, Hound,” Ryan says. “Let’s be realistic. Briggs is probably going to know I’m coming. He’s probably got a trap or something for me. But I’m still going to go and still going to get Fox out no matter what. If I die, I need to make sure you are still around to take care of her.”

“You’re not going to die, Haywood,” Hound says.

“We don’t know that,” Ryan says with a shrug.

“Ryan,” Hound says firmly. “You’re not going to die. Fox would forbid it, and I sure as hell do too. You aren’t going to die.”

Ryan doesn’t want to argue with her. “Regardless, I will feel much better knowing you’re safe with Ray and can be our backup if--” He trails off, trying not to say the words he was just yelled at for. Less she slap him again. He wouldn’t put it past her.

“--things go tits up?” Hound echoes with a bittersweet smile.

Ryan gives her a wry smile and nods back.

Hound sighs with frustration. “Fine, I’ll do as Geoff says,” she grumbles as if it physically pains her to play along. “But I’m not going to like it. And I’m going to bitch and complain about it the entire time.”

“I would expect no less.”

They fall silent, each staring at the other with hesitation. Neither of them want to continue the conversation, but they also know they probably should in some way. Finally, Hound breaks the tension and steps forward. She throws her arms around Ryan in a firm hug. Ryan freezes with surprise before he tentatively hugs her back.

“You tell anyone about this, I will stab you,” Hound whispers to him.

“Understood.”

When they rejoin Geoff and Ray again, Geoff is just hanging up the phone. “Alright,” he says. “Time to go. Jack and Gavin have the guns. Let’s meet up with them and then we’re doing this thing.”

Everyone nods except Ryan.

“Wait.” He goes over to the mural and starts to tear down all the pictures and articles. He doesn’t have a system or a plan on how to get rid of them. His goal is to just destroy it as fast as possible. He hears more ripping noises next to him and turns to see that Hound has joined in and soon Ray and Geoff start to rip and tear up what they take down. When the wall is eventually blank and the shrine to Fox is in a garbage bag where it belongs, Ryan takes a deep breath and nods. “Okay, now we’re good.”

Hound grabs her computer and then they leave.

The drive to the docks is dead silent, say for Hound and Ray. Hound is typing away on her laptop, trying to connect remotely to her server to help with surveillance, while Ray is busy testing the coms. Geoff is gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are turning white and Ryan simply stares at the road ahead.

While he has every bit of faith in Geoff’s plan, he knows it’s half-assed at best. Not because Geoff didn’t care, god no. Geoff cared just as much as the rest of them. It’s because they didn’t have long to prepare and there were so many unknown variables. It was going to require a lot of on the spot thinking. Ryan kept his focus clear. _Find Fox. Get her out. No matter what._

Gavin and Jack are pulled off in an abandoned parking lot next to Dan and Kerry’s car. It’s near the road that leads to the abandoned apartment complex and there’s no one in sight. It seemed when Boss closed the places down, people started to avoid the area, which works in their favor as they don’t have to worry about civilians. When Geoff pulls up, Gavin and Jack immediately get out of the car and pop the trunk.

Ryan and the others get out as well and huddle together.

“These were the best we could do on such short notice,” Gavin says as he hands out the weapons. “They won’t stun them for long, but it should be long enough to get in and get out.”

“Remember guys, no kills on this one,” Geoff warns. “Briggs is unstable and these guys are just doing the job they were hired to do. We need to avoid bloodshed as much as possible.”

Ryan remembered those words from the past. And how everyone would turn to give him pointed looks. They would tease him and make jokes about him having to go on a murder break, and he would laugh and joke along with them. No one is joking now. They all look solemn and a little pale.

Even Hound’s usual cool exterior has slipped and she looks apprehensive. “My laptop is ready to go if you need directions once you’re inside,” she says. “Just ask us over the coms. Just a warning, I don’t know how up to date the blueprints are. They’re from when the building was built and if Briggs or Boss made changes, they won’t help too much. Otherwise we’re not going to make a sound. We don’t want to distract you guys.”

The guys nod with understanding and Ryan reaches into his jacket pocket for his mask, only to realize it’s not there. He must have left it back in Hound’s office, or the police confiscated it when he was taken to the hospital. He’s disappointed, but pushes past it for more pressing matters.

“Kerry and Dan should be in position now,” Geoff says. “I told them to find Fox, Michael and Lindsay and don’t waste any time getting them out. Once it’s clear they aren’t part of Briggs’s team, everyone is going to be looking for them and trying to prevent them from leaving.”

“Which is where we come in,” Ryan says. “Ray, Hound. If things go quiet and you don’t hear from us in thirty minutes, you know what to do.”

The two nod solemnly.

“Ryan, you and I will take Kerry and Dan’s car,” Geoff continues. “It’s faster than mine. Hound, you and Ray run coms from my car and Jack and Gavin will go in Jack’s car. We’ll approach the building from the east, they will approach from the west. We already know there are two entrances so getting inside will be a piece of cake.”

“It’s the rest that’s going to be terrible,” Jack says.

“Here,” Ray says, holding out their coms. Everyone takes one and places it in their ears. “They all work perfectly. Just remember to press to talk. Otherwise you’ll look like an idiot talking to yourself. Hopefully he doesn’t have a com jammer.”

“I wish I had time to sweep for equipment,” Hound says sadly.

“Well, if he does have a jammer, we all know what we have to do,” Geoff says. They all take a moment to breath and mentally prepare themselves.

Ryan looks around at all of them and each one looks like they are fighting their own internal monologues so he does what needs to be done. “Alright,” he says breaking the silence. “Let’s do this.”

He and Geoff climb into Dan and Kerry’s car. The keys are already in the ignition, per their instructions. Geoff starts the vehicle while Jack and Gavin get into their car and Ryan sees Ray move to close their trunk, blocking his view of Hound. She was staring him down, so he’s not sorry that he can’t see her anymore.

Geoff pulls out of the parking lot and takes the main/east road towards the building as Gavin and Jack move in the opposite direction. As soon as Geoff’s car is out of their line of sight, Ryan can feel his anxiety spike. “Let’s hope they're in position,” he says about Kerry and Dan.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Geoff agrees. He waits a beat before adding, “Thanks for talking to Hound earlier and calming her down. Did you tell her that we’re really the distraction?”

Ryan shakes his head. “Nope, because if I did she would have flipped her shit,” he says. “It was hard enough getting her to agree to stay behind anyways. If she knew this was basically a suicide mission, she would be right next to us.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised she didn’t pitch a fit when we got here,” Geoff says.

Ryan was too. But with the stakes so high, he didn’t think much more of it. “There’s really not time for one,” he tells him. He takes a deep breath and thinks on the plan. “So we go in, make a big fuss and hope it’s enough to distract them from the others. If Kerry and Dan do their part, Fox, Michael and Lindsay will already be on their way out the door and we can buy them enough time to get away.”

“I told them to take the shuttle out of here,” Geoff says. “It’s big enough for all five of them and that way our cars will still be waiting for us...hopefully.”

“We should just add ‘hopefully’ to the end of every sentence from this point on,” Ryan says with an edge to his voice.

Geoff glances over at him. “We’re going to get them out, Ryan. We can do this. They are the first priority. Getting to Briggs is the second. He may be planning some sort of trap for you, but I highly doubt he was banking on you bringing backup.”

“Do we know that for sure?” Ryan asks. “Who knows what Briggs is thinking?”

Geoff doesn’t respond. As they get closer to the building, they don’t see any guards outside or any signs that there are people there at all. It’s not surprising, since most people would hide their criminal activity if they didn’t want anyone to know about it. The shuttle is still there, but there is no sign of the guard who drives it. Ryan and Geoff get out of the car and make sure their taser guns are at the ready.

The closer they get to the door, the more Ryan’s nerves get out of control. He was never nervous on jobs. Though, there is a lot more at stake now than there ever has been. Geoff grabs the handle and shoots a nod at Ryan, before he yanks open the door. There are no guards inside the entryway and Ryan and Geoff frown as they slowly step inside. They expected to be met with men full force. They were not expecting an empty entry with broken floors and peeling wallpaper. They strain their ears, but can’t hear anything.

“Ray?” Geoff asks quietly as he presses the button on his com.

“Yo,” comes the response.

“There’s no one in the entry,” Geoff says. “Are we sure our research on his staff was correct?”

“Yeah, I double checked it,” Ray responds. “He’s got at least twenty to thirty guys on rotation.”

“Alright, so they must be on the higher floors,” Geoff says to Ryan. He sighs and nods towards the hallway in front of them. “You go that way.” He points to the hallway to their right. “I’ll go this way.” It was inevitable they would have to split up. The building was too big for them to stay together and they didn’t have the time.

They both share a small nod and then, without saying anything further, they move in separate directions.

Ryan is quiet with his steps. As he moves further into the building, he realizes he can hear the sound of footsteps above him if he listens hard enough. A few times he pauses at the steps grow louder, but he doesn’t meet a single guard. Well, not a conscious one. He’s been on his own for no more than five minutes when he sees a body lying in the middle of the floor. He stoops down to check on him. The man is still breathing and it looks like he was shot with one of the taser guns.

Maybe Gavin or Jack had already been this way? Ryan didn’t want to chance it so he kept moving forward. Just as he rounded a corner, he saw something that sends a wave of anger through him. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” he asks in a hushed whisper.

“Did you really think I was going to stay behind?” Hound says with a chuckle. She stands poised to attack, holding a taser gun of her own. The look she gave him clearly shows she thinks he is the dumbest person in the world. In all honesty, he definitely feels like it at the moment.  

“How did you get here?” he asks.

“Jack and Gavin’s trunk,” she tells him. “Ray let me climb in before he slammed it closed. You guys took off so fast, none of you noticed. I slipped out through the backseat when they parked and got out.”

“Hound, I asked you to stay behind!” Ryan snaps. “The others don’t know you’re here. I could have shot you just now!”

“But you didn’t. And the reason I ignored your request is because I realized that you were going to sacrifice yourself to save Fox and I can’t let you do that. I’m not stupid, Haywood. I know with four people this wasn’t a rescue mission. It was a suicide mission and fuck that shit,” she says. “Fox loves you. If something happens to you, you and I both know that there is nothing I can do to take care of her. So I’m here to make sure your dumb ass doesn’t do anything to get yourself killed. Now shut up and come with me. This floor has been swept already. I took the hallway Gavin and Jack didn’t go down. There’s a staircase this way.”

Ryan wants to argue more, but he really can’t. So, he begrudgingly follows her. They creep wordlessly, both keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of movement or the other. On occasion Jack, Gavin or Geoff will say something over the com, letting them know that their area is clear. But other than that they are silent.

Ryan and Hound are about almost completely up the staircase when they finally hear something.

“Code red, code red!” a guard yells on the floor above them as he runs past the staircase. “Kal has been found unconcious. The prisoners may have escaped--” He barely manages to notice Hound before Ryan jumps him from behind and covers his mouth and nose, effectively cutting off his words and air supply. He struggles against Ryan for a few seconds before the lack of oxygen forces him to pass out.

“Code red? What is this a bad movie?” Hound asks, rolling her eyes.

Regardless of the poor terminology, the damage is done of course. Now the building is full of noises, running feet and shouts as Ryan and Hound look around wildly for the next place to run. Ryan grabs Hound by the wrist and pulls her down a hallway to the right of the staircase.

The noises grow louder and louder, until Ryan can hear footsteps behind them. They come to a four-way intersection and Hound barely pauses before she leads him down a random one. The footsteps sound further away now, but they don’t stop to take a breath. The hallway they are in is empty, but they don’t know how long it’ll stay that way so they keep pressing forward. However, just as they reach the halfway point, two things happen.

The first is the door to their left flies open.

The second is that Hound lets out a bloodcurdling scream.


	20. Chapter 20

Dan takes the lead. You’re not sure why but you assume it has to do with his bodyguard training kicking in. You follow close behind, listening to the commotion going on outside. You can hear running feet and shouts, though you can’t make out what people are shouting about. Dan holds up his hand to make you wait as he presses his ear to the door. After a minute or two, he nods and opens it. The hallway is empty, but you can still hear Briggs’s men yelling to each other in various parts of the building.

“Alright, which way to Briggs?” Dan whispers to you.

You close your eyes, trying to remember the way to his office. But that time you were led from the basement and you can’t figure out a path from where you are now. So you settle on thinking about the balcony where you were brought before. It’s better than just going in a random direction and he may not have had a chance to leave since you had been taken away.

“Straight for thirty seconds,” you say, nodding towards the hallway in front of you.

You both hurry down that way until you come to a sharp right and take it without telling Dan. He has to backtrack when he realizes you aren’t behind him anymore and he hurries to catch up to you. It’s much easier for you to lead than to tell him where to go, and he silently lets you continue forward. He doesn’t have time to argue with you.

You hear footsteps around the corner up ahead and a guard spots you. He draws his gun, but Dan is quicker and shoots the man in the shoulder. He goes down with a loud yell and as you pass, you give him a swift punch to knock him out. You wince as you do, muttering a “sorry” before you and Dan continue on.

You find the staircase you remember from earlier and hurry up it. You duck and press yourselves against the wall as several men run past the landing. But they don’t notice you. They are too busy screaming at each other.

“Two downstairs! Two downstairs!”

“There was one in the north corner too!”

“Three headed towards the west exit!”

“That’s right,” Dan mutters as the men move on and you two feel it’s safe to press on. “Keep them distracted boys. If Kerry, Michael and Lindsay are already at the west exit, they are in the clear. The guys would have cleaned out the first floor by now.”

“Good,” you say with a relieved smile.

You take the slight left up ahead when it’s clear you’re alone, however, you can hear running behind you and Dan pulls you through the first open door he sees. It’s a broom closet and you both jostle each other in your attempt to hide. You manage to close the door without slamming it and wait with bated breath until the footsteps fade. It’s hard to tell, however. Noises are all around you guys now and after a minute or two, you look to Dan for confirmation. He shrugs, but raises his gun as you reach for the doorknob.

Several things happen when you open the door.

One, you physically bump into someone and your reflexes kick in. This causes you to raise Hound’s knife and stab whoever hit you in the shoulder.

Then, the person screams louder than you’ve ever heard someone before.

It’s Hound.

You just stabbed Hound.

“OH SHIT!” you exclaim with surprise. She screams again when she sees you and you remember you’re wearing Ryan’s mask and promptly yank it off.

“Hound, what the fuck are you doing here?” you ask, shoving the mask in your pocket.

You hear your name however and whip around. Your breath catches in your throat as you find yourself face to face with the one person in this world you want by your side right now. Ryan is standing there staring back at you as he lowers his gun. You can’t help the half-cry, half-sob that escapes your lips as you both close the distance between yourselves. You fling your arms around his neck and his come around your waist tightly. His mouth attacks yours in a hard kiss and you return the action enthusiastically, practically melting into his touch with a loud groan.

“I thought I lost you,” Ryan mumbles against your mouth when he draws away slightly. You can feel his tears hitting your cheeks as his hand grips the back of your head.

“You didn’t, you didn’t lose me,” you babble smiling. “I’m right here.”

“You wore my mask.”

“It helped me focus and think of you.”

“Now is really not the time,” Dan says urgently.

“YOU STABBED ME!” Hound yells. She grabs the handle of the knife and yanks it out. The wound doesn’t look very bad. It’s not deep but it is bleeding.

You pull away from Ryan with a jerk as you spin around to face your ex, remembering yourself. “I’m so sorry!” you exclaim. “It was instinct, I swear!”

Hound is already shrugging out of her blazer as she angrily shoves it into Dan’s hands. “Wrap this around the wound,” she snaps as she glares at you. Dan raises his eyebrows but tucks his gun in his holster and does as he’s told. “What the fuck?! I gave you the knife for protection. You don’t just go opening doors and stabbing people. What’s wrong with you?!”

Shots suddenly ring out behind you and the four of you duck to avoid them. Dan barely has a chance to finish tying the blazer around Hound’s shoulder before you guys take off in the opposite direction of the bullets.

“This way!” you yell, picking a direction. Ryan fires at a few of the men and they drop to the floor. Dan tries to go for his gun, there isn’t a chance for him to get it out as more shots come your way and he pushes Hound to the side to avoid them. 

A lone guard, coming to help, steps out from one of the rooms, but a knife comes flying past you and lodges into his shoulder. He falls with a scream and you barely have a chance to thank Hound before more shots ring out. 

You find a staircase leading down and, with no other option, take it.

However, halfway down the steps, Briggs appears at the bottom and the four of you skid to a halt. You turn to head back up, but the remaining guards are blocking your way, guns pointing at you menacingly. There are about three of four of them so there’s no way you can barrel past or take them out all at once.

You’re trapped.

“The gang is back together!” Briggs says with a scary smile as he stares up at you and Hound. “Look how far we’ve come, ladies.”

“Briggs, stop this,” Hound says, her hand closing around yours.

“Just let us go and you’ll never have to hear from us again,” you add.

“You’re not going anywhere!” he snaps. “You’re staying here with me!”

“She’s not going anywhere near you!” Ryan snaps. He takes you firmly by the shoulders and pulls you away so his body is standing in between yours and Briggs. Dan also moves to block you and Hound from him and Hound slides another knife out of her sleeve and holds it up towards the guards with her free hand.

Briggs’s eyes slide up to meet Ryan’s and the pure hatred you see there is terrifying. “ _You,_ ” he says in a low voice.

“Briggs, you need help,” Ryan says slowly, trying to get a handle on his anger. You can hear the carefully chosen tone and you know that he understands that Briggs isn’t well. “You can come with us and we will get you help.”

“You haven’t hurt any of us,” you add. “Michael and Lindsay aren’t harmed and are safe. This needs to stop. We can do that without anyone getting hurt.” You think back on the guard Dan shot. “Well, anyone else from getting hurt.”

“I agree,” Briggs says. “This does need to stop. Don’t you see? You don’t need him anymore! That’s what I’ve been trying to show you. I can help you! I can protect you! I can save you!”

“I don’t need saving, Lee,” you tell him. “Please, just let us go.”

His face switches from pleading to disgusted in less than a second and he points an accusing finger at Ryan. “This is YOUR FAULT!” he bellows. “YOU TURNED HER AGAINST ME!”

“Briggs, I didn’t do anything,” Ryan tells him. “No one is against you.”

“Yes there are! All of you are! You just want to keep us apart!” Briggs exclaims.

“Lee, please--” you begin.

“No!” he snaps. “Now you’re lying! You’re a liar just like they are!”

Ryan raises his gun. “Briggs, let us through.”

You make a move to reach for Ryan, to stop him from shooting, but then Briggs raises his other hand and you realize with a terrified whimper that he is holding what looks like an explosive of some kind. You’ve never seen it before, but it’s grenade-like shape is enough to tell you what it can do.  

“EITHER SHE COMES WITH ME, OR I PUSH THIS BUTTON!” Briggs yells.

“Briggs, I don’t want to hurt you,” Ryan says firmly. “Put down the explosive. Do you really want to hurt her? If you set that off you’ll kill all of us, including her!”

“Not kill, just knock out,” Briggs says with a casual shrug, his tone switching so dramatically in such a short time it terrifies you. “It’s a minor explosive. Won’t do too much damage. Well, as long as it doesn’t hit anyone. Never really tested it out though.”

“Lee, listen to yourself!” you say. “This isn’t right, and deep down you know this! I already told you. I love Ryan. I choose Ryan. _I will always choose Ryan._ ”

But he’s not hearing it and as he pulls his arm back, Ryan shoots him in the chest.

“NO!” you shriek, not realizing it’s a taser. But Ryan hesitated too long, and you see Briggs’s thumb hit the button and watch as the explosive flies in the air towards you, almost as if in slow motion.

Everything happens so fast after that you can’t focus. You feel arms come around your waist and you’re being tugged backwards, while Ryan and Dan dive forward. The explosive hits the middle step and goes off. There’s a bright light and you are sent flying back up the stairs, landing on something warm and soft. Dust and fire engulf the area around you and most of the stairs are decimated. Briggs’s men are knocked out and you realize what you’re laying on is Hound.

Her head is bloody and her eyes are shut. You reach out to try to shake her awake, but then you hear your name being called. Coughing, you pull yourself up to stand on the mostly untouched wall behind you. Ryan and Dan are at the foot of what was the stairs, Briggs at their feet.

“Ryan!” you call, but before you can say anything else, the floor around the stairs crack dangerously and your world tilts slightly. The fire that had started burning the stairs starts to crawl up the walls and towards the landing where you stand. You need to move, otherwise you’re going to go down through the broken floor.

“I’M COMING UP FOR YOU!” Ryan calls, trying to move towards what little of the stairs are left.

“No!” you snap. “Go! Get out! I’ll find another way down!”

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!” Ryan screams.

You don’t have time to argue. “YOU PROMISED!” you scream back. “When we got here, you said you would leave if I told you to go. Now go! I’ll be fine.”

Ryan makes a move towards the stairs again, but Dan grabs him. “We have to go, the fire is spreading fast,” he yells. “We have to warn the others.”

“Get Briggs out!” you order. “I’ll get Hound. I’ll meet you outside.”

Ryan’s large, blue eyes are staring up at you pleadingly. “Don’t make me do this,” he says in a voice that breaks your heart. “Don’t make me leave you.”

“Do it, Haywood,” you say firmly. “You promised.”

You can see the tears in his eyes as Dan bends to scoop Briggs up and throw him over his shoulder like he weighs nothing at all. You bend down to check on Hound. She’s still breathing and it looks like she’s starting to regain some consciousness. You drape her arm around your shoulders and hoist her up to her feet. When you look back down at Ryan, he runs both hands through his hair in frustration.

“I’ll meet you outside,” he says in a choked voice.

You are forced to back away from the stairs as the fire starts to come towards you. “You bet you will.”

You have no choice but to half-carry, half-drag Hound away, turning your back on Ryan. The smoke is following you and the flames start to lick the walls, catching the peeling wallpaper quickly. Soon the whole hallway is on fire and you move as fast as you can to get away from it.

“Hound!” you shout in her ear. “Hound! Wake up! We need to get out of here!” Her head lifts briefly but then it lolls to the side and she’s dead weight again. “If you die on me, you bitch, I will fucking never forgive you.”

But she doesn’t respond and her weight against you is heavy. You make it to one of the staircases you managed to run up earlier and almost stumble down it under the weight of Hound’s body. Her arm around you is slack and the blood flows freely from the wound on her head. You just make it down the stairs, when there’s a loud crack and the upstairs ceiling starts to cave in, flames coming down fast. If you hadn’t moved, you would be in that mess. Of course, now the hallway towards Ryan and Dan is blocked and you have to turn another way.

You hobble down another hallway and a shorter staircase, but you’re hopelessly turned around and can’t figure out which way to go. The air is filled with smoke all around you now and you know the building is going to come down soon. You turn towards the nearest and largest window you can find and look out. It’s not as high up at you were in your room. The distance is a manageable fall.

You drop Hound onto the floor and try to open the window. It won’t budge so you have no choice but to break through it with your elbow. Thankfully, the brittle glass gives away easily and you tear off your coat and drape it over the broken glass on the frame.

Next you turn back to Hound and hoist her up again. It takes a few seconds before you manage to get her bottom half out of the window, holding onto her top half until you’re sure she’s at a good angle where she won’t get hurt when she falls. You’re hoping her limp body will help, but you don’t really have much time to consider a safer alternative. You take a deep breath.

“Sorry about this,” you mutter, kissing her forehead before letting go.

You hear a soft thump and look out in time to see her land on her backside before flopping on her back. It looks like she landed hard, but you can’t tell from where you are. You look over your shoulder in time to see the fire is coming towards you now.

Times up.

You climb out the window, holding onto the sill as tightly as you can until you can find purchase against the wall with your feet. You shut your eyes and push off.

Landing in the sand fucking hurts. You manage to land on your feet, but your knees give out almost instantly and you end up in a heap on top of Hound. You roll over next to her, gasping for breath and coughing from the smoke still in your lungs. The cold ocean breeze feels nice against your face as you open your eyes and stare up at the window. You glance down at your hand and you smile as you realize you somehow managed to grab Ryan’s mask from your pocket before you fell.

You’re panting heavily and everything around you is drowned out by the sound of the ocean roaring in your ears. No, that’s not the ocean. You’re not close enough for it to be that loud. That’s someone calling your name. Your vision is tunneling. After everything your body just went through, and your adrenaline coming down, you can’t keep your eyes open.

Just as you slip into unconsciousness, your head rolls to the side and you have time to see Ryan running towards you before you black out completely.

\--

You open your eyes and the first thing you notice is the ceiling. It’s white, almost blindingly so and you squint and shut them again to protect them from the brightness. For the first time in days, you feel warm and comfortable. Your right hand feels hotter than the rest of your body. Weird.

You force yourself to open your eyes again, and this time you squint through the light and glance to your side. Ryan is asleep in the chair next to you, his top half draped onto the bed and across your lap with his large hand holding yours tightly. Bed. White ceiling and walls. Hospital. You’re in a hospital. Alright, that makes sense.

You feel yourself smile as you see your husband’s face. He’s there. He’s okay. He’s alive. And you are too.

Your body feels like it’s made of lead but you manage to twine your fingers with his, giving his hand a light squeeze. His eyes immediately fly open and he props himself up to look at you. “You’re awake,” he says in a sleepy, breathless tone.

“I am,” you manage to croak before you’re sent into a coughing fit. Ah, smoke inhalation. Of course.

Ryan sits up fully and grabs a pitcher on the small table next to him. He pours you a cup of water and holds it to your lips, forcing you to drink. The liquid feels amazing going down and you feel the coldness travel down your esophagus and into your belly. You drink all of it. When he pulls the cup away you smile again as he wipes the droplets of water from the corner of your lips.

“Hi,” you say.

Ryan chuckles. “Hi.”

“We’re both alive,” you say.

“We are,” he agrees.

“Is Hound--?”

He motions to the bed next to you and with great effort, you turn to look. There she is. Her head is bandaged and you can see her arm is in a sling. She’s resting peacefully, her heart monitor beeping steadily.

“And everyone else?”

Ryan smiles and puts the cup down before he reaches out to smooth your hair back from your face. “They’re fine,” he says, resting his hands on your cheeks and tilting your face up to meet his. “They’re taking care of things. Shh, just rest, babe.” He leans down and presses a firm kiss on your forehead.

“I’m fine,” you mumble, waving a hand weakly at him. It’s true. Aside from being exhausted, you don’t feel too bad. “What painkillers am I on? Because I feel grrreaat.”

“None,” Ryan says, chuckling again. “You twisted your ankle a little when you fell. But that’s about it. The doctors couldn’t find any other injuries. You were lucky.”

You hold out your arms and Ryan climbs onto the bed to wrap his arms around you in a tight hug. You bury your face in his shirt and inhale deeply. He could probably use a shower, but you’re sure you could too and right now you’re just content to take in his familiar scent and remind yourself that you’re both safe. When you draw back, he cups your cheek in his hand and kisses you on the mouth, his lips moving gently across yours. You’re too sluggish to keep up, so you just sigh into the kiss and melt against him.

He draws away after a few seconds and slides off the bed and back into his seat. His eyes never leave your face, as if he can’t believe you’re actually there with him. Or maybe he can’t believe he’s there with you?

Your mind thinks on what happened on the stairs and your smile fades. “What about Briggs?”

Ryan’s smile fades slightly as well. “He’ll live,” he says, making you exhale slowly. “I didn’t shoot him with bullets. We had tasers. So, he’s okay, physically. Mentally however, that’s another thing. He’s going to need a lot of help. Geoff is making the arrangements now. The doctors seem hopeful.”

“Good, good,” you say with a nod. “As long as he gets the help he needs, that’s all the matters.”

Ryan rests his head on your lap again, smiling up at you. You run your hands through his hair, playing with the soft grey ones around his temples. “I thought I lost you,” he says.

“Nah, you can’t get rid of me that easily, Haywood,” you tell him. “Thanks for coming for me.”

“Always.”

“You guys are gross.”

Both you and Ryan turn to look over at Hound. Her eyes are open, but she hasn’t moved. She looks just as sluggish as you feel and you know for a fact she’s definitely on painkillers. “You’re gross,” you counter.

Hound chuckles softly. “Sweet comeback,” she says. “Consider me properly burned.” She points to a burn on her cheek. “Ha, see what I did there?”

“You’re lying hurt in a hospital bed and you’re making puns,” Ryan says with a grin.

“Really bad ones too,” you add.

“Fuck you guys, that was solid.”

The three of you laugh softly. “How are you feeling?” you ask Hound.

“Like fucking shit,” she says. “And yet, these meds are awesome. What about you?”

“Same,” you say. “Thanks to you two. I was expecting Ryan to come for me. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I love you, you dumb ass,” Hound says. “I always have.”

“I know,” you say. “Well, now I know.”

“Well good.”

“You don’t have to be a bitch about it.”

“Well stop being a twat.”

You can’t help but grin. “I was a bit of a twat,” you admit. “But you fucking stabbed me so I was justified.”

“And you stabbed me back,” Hound says, pointing to her injured shoulder. “Plus your husband tried to strangle me. So I think we’re finally even.”

“You did what?” you ask rounding on Ryan.

He winces. “It’s a long story,” he says.

You gesture to yourself. “Does it look like I’m going anywhere?” you ask.

He smiles brightly and reaches out to tuck a piece of your hair behind your ear. “No, no you’re not,” he says, getting out of his seat to lean towards you. “And I’m so fucking grateful for that.” Your lips are chapped, his bottom one is split, but it’s still an amazing kiss just like the other one and makes your head swim.

“Eww, stop,” Hound says. She presses the button on the side of her bed so she is lifted gently into a sitting position. “You guys are going to make me sick.”

“Okay, you know what, I may have forgiven you, but what you did was still fucked up so you don’t get a say in whether or not we’re lovey-dovey in front of you,” you tell her.

She pouts. “But, I got stabbed!” she whines, pointing to her injured shoulder. “Right here!”

It’s almost a week before they let you and Hound out of the hospital. By this point you’re antsy and just want to get home. Ryan was by your side almost the entire time. If he wasn’t, Geoff was. Michael and Lindsay came to visit the day after you woke up and you were ecstatic to hear that everything is okay with them and their baby.

Finally you find yourself standing on the airfield, watching as the pilot steps out of your plane, done with his examination. Ryan had enough time to call him back, rather than flying the plane himself. After everything you both had been through, he just wants to sit and hold you, and you’re definitely not going to argue.

“You ready?” Ryan asks, resting his hand on your lower back.

“Oh yeah.”

“Move out of the way,” Michael orders, practically barrelling past you two as he struggles with the luggage. Lindsay follows behind, rolling her suitcase along. Thankfully your pilot notices and hurries to help Michael.

“So this island,” Lindsay says. “Like, how big are we talking?”

“Like, we own the whole thing and you can have a house on the other side and we would never see each other,” you tell her.

“Awesome,” she says. “Ryan says you guys have a contractor on staff?”

“Yeah, already contacted him,” Ryan says. “He’s going to meet us there. Until your house is done, the north wing is set up for you guys.”

“No shit, we get a whole wing to ourselves?” Michael asks excitedly. “This is going to be fucking sweeeeet. Gavin! HEY, GAVIN! We get a wing to ourselves!”

“Wot?! Me and Meg only get a guest room!” Gavin says.

You chuckle as Gavin and Meg join you four. “That’s because the other wings aren’t ready yet,” you tell them. “They should be in a week or two.”

“Why are you complaining?” Meg asks. “We get to stay on an island! Just give the man the bags and get on the plane.”

You watch them walk away bickering as Michael and Lindsay trail behind.

“Should be an interesting plane ride,” Ryan says as he turns to watch Ray, Geoff and Jack carry their belongings as well. “I made the arrangements to send for the rest of their stuff. We are all set.”

You smile brightly and turn as you hear a noise behind you. A black car pulls up and comes to a stop in front of the both of you.

“Leaving so soon?” Hound asks as she climbs out.

“Not soon enough,” you tell her. “You sure you’re going to be okay here?”

“Yeah, I got a handle on this place,” Hound says. “Plus, I kind of like it here. I’ll keep an eye on it and make sure nothing else comes back to bite you in the ass.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle. “For everything. Seriously. I’m glad we worked things out. I sort of missed you.”

“Aww, you’re just saying that,” Hound says teasingly.

You smile and take her face in your hands. “I’m really not,” you say. Slowly you lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her lips. When you draw back, she gives you a lopsided smile. “Thank you again. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“You first,” Hound responds. You drop your hands from her face and step back. Hound turns to Ryan expectedly. “What about you, big boy? How about a smooch for good luck?”

Ryan rolls his eyes and pulls her into a tight one-armed hug. He plants a kiss on her forehead. “You’re such a pain in the ass,” he says.

“Yeah, but I still got to kiss your wife, sooo…”

“Okay, yeah we’re done here,” Ryan says, immediately pushing her away.

She shoots him a grin before turning back to you. “In all seriousness though, I’m happy for you guys,” she says. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll find a nice lady to make an honest woman out of me.”

“Hound…” you say with a smirk.

“Okay, honest was the wrong word probably,” Hound amends.

You chuckle and give her an affectionate shake of your head. “Bitch.”

“Twat.”

Ryan puts his arm around you and you smile up at him. “Ready to go home?” he asks.

“Yes please.”

You both turn away from Hound and walk towards the plane. The crew has already boarded and the pilot is waiting patiently for you. You start to climb the steps first but pause to look back at Hound. She has a sad smile, but she waves to you none the less. You wave back before turning and boarding the plane.

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

God do you love the sun.

You close your eyes and let the warmth wash over you. The smell of fried fish wafts over and you’re suddenly ravenous. “When’s the food going to be done?” you ask.

Lindsay shrugs as she settles under the beach umbrella the men set up. In her arms, a plump baby boy with his father’s curly hair dozes against her chest, his pacifier falling out of his mouth as it hangs open. “Hopefully soon, I’m starving,” she says. “Nursing is fucking exhausting. I eat more now than when I was pregnant.”

“Oh man that’s terrifying,” you say, remembering all too well how much she could pack away back then.

“Yeah, well, you’ll find out soon,” Lindsay says nodding towards you.

You glance down at your expanded belly and sigh, running your hands along the smooth surface. “Not soon enough,” you say. “I feel like a house.”

“You’re only like what, twenty-five weeks?” Lindsay says. “Trust me, once it starts happening, you’re going to wish you had more time.”

“Six months sounds better,” you say with a chuckle. “Sounds like I’m closer to nine.”

Six months. Had it really been that long since Los Santos? Because that’s when it happened. You did the math. You know it happened right after Ryan got back from his prison job. Protection hadn’t really been considered, you were too busy thinking about other things to give it much thought. Then you two were whisked away, back to that hell-hole.

You both were shocked when you found out. You had been so tired that you thought you had just been recovering from the ordeal, but Lindsay had forced you to see a doctor and low and behold, the answer was very clear by that point. You were not only surprised that it had happened so quickly, but that even after everything you had been through, the baby was not harmed. If Hound hadn’t caught you in the explosion, or when you jumped out the window, it probably would have been a different story.

For that, you both are eternally grateful.

You feel the baby stretch and smile as you see the bump where its feet are sticking out of the side of your abdomen. You gently prod the area and the bump disappears.

Your phone begins to vibrate and you answer with a cheerful, “Hello!”

“Hey, so, here’s the thing,” Hound says, making you roll your eyes. “Totally get you not wanting to name the baby after me if its a girl. But, have you considered that I did save both of you.”

“Hound, for the last time, no,” you tell her with exasperation. Next to you, Lindsay chuckles as she starts to rock the baby a little. He’s squirming like he’s about to wake up but doesn’t want to.  

“Alright, worth a shot,” Hound says. “How are things?”

“Good, really good,” you say with a smile. “What about you?”

“Stopped an assassination attempt on myself, so that’s a plus,” she says. “Clearly people don’t like me cleaning up Los Santos. That’s too damn bad because I’m going to do it anyways. The chick they hired was actually pretty hot though.”

“Hound, don’t do it,” you say warningly.

“Too late.”

You sigh heavily and shake your head. “I’m going to hang up on you now,” you tell her.

“Hey, you’re in no position to judge,” Hound says. “You were banging Haywood while working for Boss.”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t hired to kill me,” you tell her.

“You were hired to get info on him though,” Hound reminds you. “Same thing really when you think about it.”

“Goodbye, Hound,” you say pointedly. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

You can help the grin on your face as you hang up. It’s good to finally have closure. To finally understand what happened all those years ago and put it all behind you. Your friendship with Hound is shaky, but it always was so that isn’t anything new. You are glad she’s moved on, even if it’s with some hot assassin chick.

You hear a splash and yell, making you glance up towards the ocean. You can’t help but laugh as Meg chases Gavin out of the ocean, screaming. She had been relaxing on a floaty, minding her own business when it looked like he had tipped her over. Ray sits on the small deck that Jack and Ryan had built, hiding under the awning with a plate of snacks in front of him and a DS in his hands.

Ryan and Geoff chat idly as Geoff grills the fish he caught that morning. Jack is busy cracking open a beer. The three laugh at something and Geoff has to step to the side so beer doesn’t spit all over the food.

Michael comes over to drop down next to his wife. “How are my two favorite people ever?” he asks, placing a soft kiss on the baby’s forehead.

“Rested,” Lindsay says smiling. “I got a nap in and he woke up for like, five minutes, then went back to sleep.”

Michael reaches over to take the baby from her. The little guy makes a few noises of distress, but quiets down once Michael starts rocking him. “You ready for this?” he asks you.

“God am I ever,” you say with a smile. You adjust the pillows behind you. “Can’t wait to meet this little person.”

“Me too.”

You smile up at Ryan as he comes to plop down next to you. He swoops in to give you a kiss before leaning down towards your belly. “Hey you,” he says, pressing kisses to the reddish stretch marks that have cropped up since your stomach has expanded.

“Food’s done!” Geoff calls. Lindsay and Michael cheer and get to their feet instantly.

Across the way, you hear Gavin yell, “FIIISSSSHHHH!” as he runs towards the deck, waving his arms wildly.

“Gavin, if you wake up my son, I’ll kill you!” Michael all but yells. The baby starts to cry and Lindsay scolds her husband.

You and Ryan don’t move right away. Instead you remain snuggled together, watching your friends all congregate around the food. It’s still strange to see them all together again in one place. But you love it. The island was home before, but now it feels different. Warmer. Complete even.

“How are you doing?” Ryan asks, breaking you out of your trance.

You turn to him and smile. “I’m happy,” you say, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He leans forward to place a sweet kiss on your lips. “Are you happy?”

He chuckles, his hand running across your stomach again as his child kicks wildly. “Definitely,” he says. He’s silent for a few moments before he pulls you against his chest. You melt into his touch instantly and rest your hands over his, feeling the baby kick. “Just us?”

You smile and look at your friends again before looking down at your belly once more. “Well,” you say, craning your neck to look back at him. “I guess more than just us works too.”

Ryan laughs and pulls you into a tighter embrace. “I couldn’t agree more.”


End file.
